Ayame's Canon Adventures
by Jaenera Targaryen
Summary: Spin-off of Purified by Fire, Dancing with Fairies. Ayame and Saber go have dinner at Ahnenerbe. After an enjoyable night out, they leave for home, not realizing that the cafe has shifted them into a parallel world...that of Fate/Stay Night.
1. Part I

Disclaimer: I do not own the Fate franchise it belongs to Kinoko Nasu and Type-Moon.

Adventures in Canon

Part I

"Oh I haven't seen this place before." Ayame remarked as she came to a halt outside a café with an old-fashioned façade. Well, the façade was old-fashioned, but the café certainly wasn't. She'd gone down this street many times in the past, and this wasn't here before. Unless of course, she just didn't notice.

That happens.

"Would you like to try it out?" Saber asked.

"Sure, why not?" Ayame said with a shrug. "Nothing wrong with giving it a go. If it's no good, then we'll simply not come back. But if it's good…then we know to come back."

Saber laughed and followed Ayame inside the café. The inside was just as old-fashioned as the outside, the floors paneled in wood, the round tables and their sturdy chairs also likewise made from wood.

The bar counter also seemed to be made from wood, and the wallpapered walls decorated with ornamental plates, displays, and even paintings. Small ones, but paintings still for all that. Together with the deliberate-seeming, smoky half-light of the interior, the café had a charming, old world air to it.

" _Ten out of ten for ambiance._ " Ayame telepathically told Saber as they stood just inside the café.

" _Indeed,_ " Saber agreed. " _I feel like I'm at a very well-to-do inn back home._ "

" _Now, let's see if their food is good._ "

A waitress approached, bowing to welcome them in. Ayame bowed back, politely. "Table for two, please." She said.

"Of course," the waitress said. "Over here, please."

Ayame and Saber followed, sitting at the designated table, and after a couple of moments the waitress returned with a pair of menus. Bowing, she then left them to consider the offered options. Master and Servant perused the menus for a few minutes, and then Ayame closed hers. "Well," she said. "That was a lot of options. A bit overwhelming, to be honest, but variety isn't a bad thing."

Saber chuckled. "Back in my day variety was a very luxurious thing." He said. "You could say I'm quite inclined to call it frivolous. But…times have changed, and I must consider that."

"Do you know what you want?"

"Yes."

"Alright then."

Ayame gestured for the waitress, who arrived with pen and paper to take their orders. "I'll have a roast beef sandwich, and an iced coffee." Ayame ordered, before turning to Saber.

"I'll have the Shepherd's Pie, and a draft beer." Saber said, and the waitress nodded while jotting their orders.

"Very good, sir." The waitress said. "That's one order of the roast beef sandwich, one order of the Shepherd's Pie, one order of the iced coffee, and one order of the draft beer."

Ayame and Saber nodded, and the waitress nodded. "Very well sir, ma'am," she said. "Your orders will be ready within ten to fifteen minutes."

Ayame and Saber nodded again, and with a bow, the waitress gathered their menus and left. "The service is good." Saber remarked.

Ayame shrugged. "She was polite." She agreed. "And if the food is good too, then I'm definitely coming back here."

"With some friends?" Saber asked.

Ayame shrugged again. "Well, why not?"

Saber just smiled.

* * *

"Oh that was good." Ayame said cheerfully as their dirty plates and utensils were taken away, and counting out money from her wallet paid for their meal. "I'm definitely coming back, and bringing friends along."

"Yes, it certainly was good." Saber agreed, finishing off his beer. "The beer comes in nice amounts too. I wonder if I can get more…"

"…don't get too happy drinking, Saber." Ayame said. "Look outside, night's already fallen, and we could end up in a fight once we leave. Don't lose your head now."

"…Servants can't get drunk."

"…really?"

"Yes."

"…I didn't know that."

Saber chuckled. "Well, now you do." He said with a cheeky grin. "Still, I see your point. Let's not get too caught up in food and drink, and let our guards down. Besides, this place is filling up. And if we stay here too long, we might draw unwanted attention, and trouble with it, to this place. It would be most…irresponsible, and uncharitable, wouldn't it?"

"You said it." Ayame said with a nod, and then took a drink of water. Several moments later, and the waitress returned with Ayame's change. Ayame took it, and then left a generous tip. "Shall we go, then?"

"Yes, let's."

The waitress stood aside as Ayame and Saber got up from their seats, and bowed as they made for the exit. Exiting the café, Ayame and Saber stood on the street for a few moments, their breath steaming in the cold winter air. "Shame it's not snowing." Ayame said. "I like the snow."

"Really?"

"Yeah," Ayame said with a nod. "Dad always said my hair was like the snow…for all that my hair is a scar left behind by that fire, the fact that dad…"

Trailing off, Ayame sighed and shook her head slightly. "Well, never mind that." She said before turning to walk up the street. "Let's go, Saber."

Saber said nothing, merely sending a mental nudge of reassurance to his Master, and receiving a mental nod of thanks in return. As they left the café behind, Saber glanced back once, and committed its name to memory.

Its name was Ahnenerbe.

* * *

"There's a Servant nearby."

"Yeah, I sense it too." Ayame agreed. "I can't detect the Master though. Not bad, not bad, they're very good at hiding themselves. Anything you can tell me about the Servant?"

"Well, I can say for sure it isn't Berserker, which is a good thing." Saber said. "Not that I'm not confident in taking him on when I have to, but neither do I look forward to what will undoubtedly be a hard fight."

"At least we've finally recovered all the prana we spent taking on those Matou monsters." Ayame said, and cracking her fingers. "So we don't have to hold back any more than we really have to."

"I've already used my Noble Phantasm more than once." Saber said, light flashing around him as he donned his armor, metal-clad fingers closing around the hilt of a golden-bladed sword. "I'm sure they already know I am, and what I can do. Still, I see your point. No need to spend more prana than what this battle calls for."

"My thoughts exactly." Ayame said, crouching down and planting a hand on the ground. A magic circle glowed into life around her hand, and whispering the aria cast a bounded field all around them.

"There's no one around, is there?" Saber asked.

"They're all inside, asleep." Ayame replied. "And my bounded field will keep them asleep unless physically-roused. On the streets…just the enemy Master and their Servant."

Saber nodded. "Now, we wait." He said. "I'm sure the enemy already knows we're here."

"Yes, I think so too." Ayame agreed, and got to her feet. For the next several minutes, they silently stood in the middle of the street, waiting for the enemy to make the first move. And just maybe, the enemy was waiting for them to make the first move as well.

Leaves rustled in the wind as a breeze briefly picked up, and then died. Saber narrowed his eyes, and then whirling swung once.

Sparks flew as a chained spike flying through the air towards the back of Ayame's head was turned away, and Saber quickly put himself between his enemy and his Master. "What…no, who the hell is that?" Ayame snapped, backing away as she eyed their enemy, crouched down on the ground several meters away.

It was a woman with long… _very_ long, violet hair, wearing a strapless and formfitting dress of matching color that barely reached her thighs and covered her breasts. A violet blindfold covered her eyes, while in her hands was a very long chain with long spikes affixed to their ends.

"It's an enemy Servant!" Saber snarled, incensed by the cowardly attack, though inwardly he knew it only made sense. It was war, after all. For the sake of victory, otherwise dishonorable measures were all too available for use.

With a burst of wind, Saber leapt forward, his sword held two-handed. The enemy Servant threw a spike towards Saber, but he merely turned it aside with another shower of sparks, before leaping forward and closing the distance.

The enemy Servant dodged Saber's opening blow, and lashing out twice with her feet with agile and powerful kicks, briefly forced Saber onto the defensive. Saber avoided getting hit, blocked a stab from the enemy Servant's weapon, and then riposted. The enemy Servant dodged, and then feinting kicked Saber in the gut.

Saber grunted as the air was knocked out of him, though his armor took most of the kick's force. As it was, he was forced back a couple of steps, the enemy Servant kicking off him to reopen the distance.

"I'll take care of this, Ayame!" Saber shouted. "You deal with the Master!"

"Got it!" Ayame said.

"I won't let you." The enemy Servant said in a quiet voice.

"You're not the one who decides that!" Saber snapped, before prana surged and with prana burst closed the distance with the surprised Servant.

* * *

"Glitter, Fairy Lights."

Golden light flared between Ayame's hands, and after a few moments fairies flew out and settled into orbit around her. That said, Ayame frowned in confusion, and likewise, there was a faint air of confusion coming from the fairies around her.

To be sure, they acknowledged her call, but at the same time, there was a…disconnection, between them. As if they were like old friends meeting after several long years, that they could barely recognize each other at all.

It was a strange situation, but then the fairies flashed with light, and Ayame understood. There might be something between them now, but that was of no real importance. They heard her call, and heeded it. And what she needed of them, they would provide.

Ayame rushed off, ignoring the battle behind her. Turning a corner, she extended her senses, but still found no sign of the enemy Master. Growling, Ayame turned to her fairies. They flashed, extending their senses, and found only one other Human awake nearby. But…he wasn't a magus, so…

…wait a minute…

Ayame growled and then smirked in approval. So that's how they hid themselves. They masked their magic circuits, keeping them from being detected the usual way.

 _Clever bastard…but I know where you are now._

Magic circuits flashed as Ayame reinforced her body, and leaping up, jumped from wall to wall, and then up to an electric post to look out over the suburb below her. Pausing to summon more fairies just in case, she bent her knees and leaped clear over a block to land with the crack of breaking stone in the middle of a street.

A figure hidden in shadows nearby jumped at her arrival, and then began backing away fearfully as Ayame got to her feet.

"Damn, that hurt!" Ayame yelled, rubbing her knees and legs. "That's the last time I'm doing something like that, reinforcement or not. Now then…who are you?"

The enemy Master ran. Ayame stared open-mouthed for a moment, and then ran after him. "You're not getting away!" she shouted, and then the enemy Master half-turned, holding a book out towards her. "A book…? What the…?"

The book flared with prana, and then streams of dark-colored energy streaked out through the air towards Ayame. Ayame's eyes widened, and coming to a halt she braced herself. The energy streams struck…

…and nothing happened. The fairies' protection barely even registered the spell as it struck, its mysteries just that frail and disconnected.

Ayame growled, and then jumped up onto another electric post. "Something's not right here." She said, watching as the enemy Master turned a corner and continued to run. "He could be leading us to a trap."

Ayame gestured, and a pair of fairies flew off in streaks of light, moving as fast as lightning. Ayame frowned as they reported no traps or anything of the sort waiting for them, and only the enemy Master cowering in another shadow.

"What the hell?" Ayame muttered before leaping down and from wall to wall before landing on the street in the distance, and again scaring the enemy Master out of his hiding spot. "Okay, I've had enough of this. Who are you, and…just…what…"

The hair was different. It was violet, not white, and he certainly looked healthier and stronger than he used to be. But the face…she'd never forget that face. Whether the mask of humanity that it wore, or the true, monstrous appearance beneath the mask.

Ayame's face twisted with hate, and the fairies around oozed malevolence as they too shared in what she felt.

"YOU!" she snarled, at the cowering form of Shinji Matou.

* * *

A/N

Dimension-hopping, this chapter is separate from the main storyline. Special thanks to our friends and acquaintances on SB, who brought up the idea in the first place. Thanks, guys! This was a great idea!

Route…probably Fate.


	2. Part II

Disclaimer: I do not own the Fate franchise it belongs to Kinoko Nasu and Type-Moon.

Adventures in Canon

Part II

"I don't know how the hell you managed to claw your way out of your grave Matou, but this time I won't give you another chance!"

"W-w-what are you talking about?" Shinji Matou spluttered fearfully, but Ayame just ignored him, and spread her arms instead.

"Glitter, Fairy Lights!" she shouted, while dumping a large chunk of her prana into the spell. This time, instead of light glowing between her hands, her whole body glowed with golden light, shot through with blue where her magic circuits were flooded with magical energy. And yet there was no pain, none of the numbing fire that came with using magic. Not this time, not when she had become, even without truly knowing what she had done, a conduit between the two sides of the World and perfectly in-sync with it.

The light flashed to blinding, and then countless sparkles of gold were hanging in the air around Ayame as her light dimmed to nothing, each and every last one of them a fairy manifest from the Reverse Side of the World. Again, there was that strange sense of disconnection, a confusing ignorance when they should by all rights know each other. They still did, at an unconscious level, otherwise what Ayame had done would have been an impossible feat, and yet…they did not know, not consciously.

But what was known was enough for them to trust each other, first for the fairies to answer Ayame's call, and now to add their strength to her own. Ayame gestured, fairies flying off in streams of gold at the speed of light, and touching the shimmering fields of magic that were her bounded fields. They shimmered gold at the fairies' touch, shifting in the eyes of those who could see, from blocky and artificial geometries to smooth, curved, natural, and impossibly _strong_.

At the same time, Ayame gestured again, fairies flying no longer in orbit around her, but in a whirlwind-like pattern that was as beautiful as it was menacing. This time, they would not simply be performing their mysteries to accomplish that which their kin and not-kin in equal measure asked of them, but would meld their strength with hers. The strength of the many would become the strength of one, and be greater than the sum of their parts.

"The Crimson Lotus Flame Shall Burn Away All Evil!" Ayame proclaimed, flames springing to life around her, spinning like a whirlwind, the golden light of the fairies as sparks from a fire. The flames were not the red, orange, and black of a normal fire, whether fueled by mundane fuel or by prana, but a rich, vivid red, that seemed alive in a way that it should not be but was all the same.

No…not a whirlwind, but a lotus in full and eternal bloom…crimson lotus flames, that would burn away away evil.

"W-w-w-wait we can talk about this…R-R-Rider, what are you doing?" Shinji spluttered, staggering back and then falling onto his back, squirming away as a wet stain spread from his groin as he wet himself in terror. "Beat her Servant already and get over here! H-hurry…!"

Ayame raised her hand, flames swirling up and into a great, winged form, a mighty visage of the legendary phoenix cast in living flame. Beating its wings, it threw its head back and gave a great and piercing cry. And with a roar, Ayame pointed at Shinji, the image of the phoenix throwing itself at him, wings spread and claws extended.

"R-Rider…where are you? _SAVE ME…!_ "

Shinji didn't even have the chance to scream, the image of the phoenix literally burning the flesh off his bones in an instant. In that instant, one could see his skeleton, cracked and blackened by living flame, half-lying on the ground, arms raised in a vain effort to protect itself, skull turned partly-away…and then in the next instant, that too was gone, crumbling to ash and then into nothing.

With another great cry, the image of the phoenix ascended into the sky, and burst in a triumphant shower of gold and crimson sparks across the night sky. "Amazing…" Ayame murmured as her living fires died out, and then blinking turned to the fairies now floating all around her.

Raising an arm, they approached her, several alighting onto Ayame's raised arm. The girl leaned her head closer, eyes fixed on the gently-flashing fairy on her arm. For several long moments, they looked in silence at each other, and then Ayame smiled.

"I'm sorry." She said softly. "I don't know why it's become like this, or how, but…it's almost like we don't know each other anymore. It's wrong…it shouldn't be like that…for almost as long as I've been able to use magic…you…all of you…each and every one of you…I've cherished being able to see you…to talk to you…to be _with_ you…and I've always been thankful for it. That's why…even now…with this… _gap_ , between us, thank you. Thank you for trusting me. Thank you for answering my call. And thank you for lending me your strength."

The fairies flashed several times, and Ayame knew, deep down in her soul, that they understood, and felt the same. It was wrong. It _shouldn't_ be. Kin and not-kin they might be both, but the former was more important than the latter, no matter how equal the distinction was. This…disconnection, this…alienation, between them, should not exist.

How had it come to be? Why had it come to be?

 _How might it be made **not** to be?_

"We'll figure it out, no matter what." Ayame promised before smiling. "And then we'll make it right, won't we?"

The fairies flashed in agreement, and Ayame smiled wider. And then she was turning, the fairies flying in a great swarm to an awed and nostalgic-looking Saber. "Ayame," the young man said. "Are you sure you're not related to Merlin? Or to me or my sister?"

"…pretty sure." Ayame said with a snort of laughter. "Why?"

"Because the only people I know who could summon so many fairies at once without making them angry are them."

"And you?"

"Where do you think I got Excalibur from?"

"Oh yeah…the Lady of the Lake is a fairy, right?"

"Yes."

Saber turned his attention to his sword, Excalibur glowing gold as numerous fairies planted themselves on the blade, the guard, on and around Saber's hand as it gripped Excalibur's hilt, and the pommel as well. Again, the fairies flickered and flashed with confusion and frustration.

There was no lie here. There was no falsehood. _This_ was the sword they themselves had crafted an instant and an eternity ago, to protect the World from any that would threaten it. The sword another of their kin had bestowed on a young Human ruler long ago as Humans perceive the passing of time within the World, both to grant strength to his reign, and to plant the seed for a legend.

A legend that would exist beyond time itself, with the power to wield the sword at any time and place it would need to be, to protect the World.

That legend now stood before them, and he confused them. Again, there was no lie, no falsehood here. And yet they could barely recognize him.

 _How can this be?_

"Well," Saber said, holding up his sword point-up before him, and leaning forward, placed his forehead against the flat of the blade. "As Merlin used to say, what will be, will be. All we can do is hope, and work for the best. And you know as well as I do that tends to work more than it actually should, don't you?"

The fairies flashed in understanding, and then again in amusement and delight. As Saber and Ayame watched in awe, they scattered, dancing like golden dust in the breeze, lighting up the night with a faint, gentle, golden light that warmed their hearts. And then they gasped, for as the fairies returned to the Reverse Side of the World, they left a parting gift for those who were kin and not-kin alike.

"Did they just…?" Ayame whispered, looking at her herself in awe.

"Yes, they did." Saber said, lowering his sword with a nod. "They restored all the prana we spent in this battle."

"Wow…thanks friends!" Ayame cheered. "I love you guys!"

Saber laughed and nodded in agreement. "Yes," he said with a smile. "I'm sure you do."

* * *

Ayame and Saber walked back to the former's house in good spirits. Well, they started out in good spirits at least…and then Saber told Ayame that the enemy Servant had escaped, taking advantage of the slight distraction caused by Ayame's phoenix's victory flare. Saber had tried to pursue, but had broken off after the enemy Servant had smashed her way out of Ayame's bounded fields in a blaze of purple lightning and golden sparks.

"Hmm…" Ayame mused, scratching at her head. "Okay…maybe that's not so…unexpected, in hindsight."

"Really?" Saber asked.

"From what I know of how Servants work," Ayame said. "It's a mystery infinitely close to True Magic in itself. Fairies, as members of the Phantasmal Species, have comparable conceptual weight. So…yes, that Servant could break out of my bounded fields, even when they've been reinforced by the fairies. After all, the mysteries between them are more or less on the same level."

"I see." Saber said with a nod. "Yes, that makes sense."

Ayame nodded herself. "Yes, it does." She said. "Battles of magic aren't simply a contest of pure power. It's a factor, yes, but the most important factor of all is conceptual weight. A mystery with little power but superior conceptual weight could easily hold up against, or even overpower another mystery with plenty of power but inferior conceptual weight."

"I see."

"Case in point," Ayame continued. "During my battle with Zouken Matou, the fairies were throwing out…um…well, danmaku, I guess you could call it, against him."

"Danmaku?" Saber asked, and Ayame coughed.

"Yes, danmaku." She said with a slight brush. "Um…think of it as a constant, patterned barrage of light or energy bullets. Individually, they don't cause much damage – relatively-speaking – but they were enough to suppress an arch-mage that as far as I know has had centuries of research backing up the concepts behind his mysteries. No…more than that, he was a vampire, and thus an embodiment of a higher mystery himself."

"I see." Saber said with a nod. "But not nearly as high as a Servant, or for that matter, fairies, yes?"

"For which I'm very thankful." Ayame said with a sigh. "Otherwise, I wouldn't have stood a chance against an actual vampire. Gods above and below…what the hell were Tohsaka thinking, allying with a vampire of all things? And they're supposed to be Second Owners? Don't joke around…as corrupt as magi society is, if word got out, they'd be crucified by their own kind."

"It was probably a very closely-kept secret of the Matou and the Tohsaka." Saber offered. "As you say, the consequences if it got out, would have been severe. And they probably profited from it greatly, and mutually."

Ayame made a sound of disgust, followed by some muttered invectives about magi. "It is rather surprising, though." Saber wondered. "Considering how corrupt magi have become these days, I'm surprised they would draw the line at becoming vampires. I imagine immortality, or some debased form of it, plus embodying a higher mystery, would have made it worth the loss of humanity in their eyes."

"The world of the supernatural must be kept secret." Ayame said. "That's probably one reason. And vampires, with their need to drink blood or outright consume Human flesh wholesale, are hardly very subtle. Not to mention the urge increases as the years pass, as far as I know."

"…I see your point. Any other reasons?"

Ayame snorted, and then laughed. "Well, there is one." She said. "Just a small mention on dad's notes about the Clock Tower."

"The Clock Tower?"

"An institute for higher learning among magi." Ayame said. "And the de facto government for their society."

"Ah…and?"

"And the ones in charge of keeping things nice and orderly," Ayame continued. "The College of Law, is dominated by the Barthomeloi Clan, the most powerful clan of magi in the world. Literally: their family heads are usually magi on such a high level that they're considered to be infinitely-close to a magician."

"…and how does this deal with vampires?"

"The family as a whole is _obsessed_ with hunting down and killing vampires. And they're very good at it. So a Clock Tower magus turning himself into a vampire for some selfish reason or another, is liable to get staked out and burned sooner or later by their own leaders."

"Huh…perhaps not all hope is lost for magi."

Ayame laughed. "Maybe," she admitted. They walked in silence for some time after that, and then a thought occurred to her and had her narrowing her eyes. "Saber?"

"Yes?"

"Did you recognize that Servant?"

"No…in fact…well, Archer is dead. So is Rider. And that Servant was too…composed, to be Berserker."

"Lancer, maybe?"

"…she had the agility for it, but…I don't think so."

"Hmm…" Ayame hummed. "That leaves Assassin and Caster…"

"I don't think she was Caster either…Assassin…possible…"

"…Shinji Matou called her Rider…but that can't be right…" Ayame mused. "…he can't have summoned another Servant, as far as I know it's impossible."

"…perhaps we should ask the Overseer?"

"Hmm…maybe we should…"

Ayame's musings came to an end as they saw blue and silver light glowing in the distance…and in the direction of Ayame's house. "Oh fuck this, what the hell is going on?" Ayame yelled as she and Saber picked up the pace. Ayame even briefly considered sending Saber ahead, but thought better of it: best not leave herself vulnerable to an ambush.

As they turned several corners and ran down the streets, there was a burst of prana, and then moments later, they spied a figure jump into the air before vanishing. "That's a Servant!" Saber said.

"I can see that!" Ayame said, and then her eyes went wide, as she spotted another figure jumping over the wall of her property, and then charge at them in a blur of blue and silver. "What the…?"

"AYAME, GET BACK!" Saber shouted, abruptly shoving Ayame back and then grabbing his sword with two hands raised it to block. Two swords met…

…and a powerful blast of wind tore across the street.

* * *

A/N

And Shinji gets his. Very much so, with not even ash left of him. I also like to think that wretched, little piece of shit even had his pathetic excuse for a soul burned away to nothing. It's nothing less than what rapists deserve. No mercy, no regret. Justice is all. Ave Dominus Nox.

Anyway…that's a lot of fairies. Interesting monologues, yes? 'Kin and not-kin in equal measure'…? Gee, I wonder what that means (snickers conspiratorially).

Finally, Altria and Arthur meet. I wonder how that'll go. Sorry for the cliffhanger, but I couldn't resist. See you arou~nd…


	3. Part III

Disclaimer: I do not own the Fate franchise it belongs to Kinoko Nasu and Type-Moon.

Adventures in Canon

Part III

Invisible Air came down on Excalibur with enough force to displace the surrounding air, and then in the next moment Arthur was roaring, and with a heave threw Altria back by several meters. Golden light flared from Excalibur as Arthur took his stance and charged, but at the same time, wind erupted around Invisible Air as Altria also took her stance and charged.

"That's…Invisible Air…impossible…how…who is that?" Ayame stammered out, as two blurs of blue, silver, and gold in the middle of the street. And then Excalibur and Invisible Air met again and again, moving so fast it was all but impossible to see either of the two Noble Phantasms.

And likewise, it was almost impossible to tell apart the two Servants.

Arthur and Altria battled back and forth, parrying, turning, and riposting every blow that the other delivered. Ayame's eyes widened as the two Servants battled all over the street, at times sweeping back and forth over several meters in the fraction of a second.

Duck…jump…parry…swing…Ayame blinked as she noticed how similar the two Servants were in their way of fighting. No…not similar. Not even close…the way they fought was _identical_. It was identical to the point they didn't need to think about how the other would strike or counter, they just knew it and responded on reflex.

Blades met and spun away, wind and sparks blasting out from the point of impact. And then again…and again…and again, Ayame shaking her head as she suddenly felt dizzy from the effort needed to keep up with the Servants' speed.

It was amazing. But it was also alarming.

The two Servants fought as if they were the same person, only they were not. Like they shared the same mind, or…intimately knew how the other fought, born of long years fighting alongside or against each other.

Like two sides of the same coin, when one swung the other blocked reflexively. When one went high, the other automatically went low. A step to one side was met with a matching step to the other side.

 _Could it be…another Knight of the Round? But why now, this late in the war? No…more than that, how…?_

Sparks and wind flew as Arthur and Altria crossed blades, two pairs of green eyes glaring into each other as blonde hair flew in the wind. "Who are you?" Arthur demanded.

"I should be the one asking that question!" Altria snapped. "And how did you get that sword?"

"I would ask you the same thing!" Arthur roared before briefly giving way and then rallying, threw Saber back yet again.

The wind picked up and then exploded in a powerful gust that was followed by golden light. Sparks flew as two virtually-identical swords met, the Servants continuing to fight bathed in golden light.

"No…there are two of Excalibur?" Ayame gasped. "How?"

She blinked and then narrowed in on a redheaded boy standing near her house…no, not near her house, he had come from _inside_ of it. Snarling, Ayame reinforced her legs to jump up, to a nearby lamppost, and then jumping to another went past the battling Servants, neither able to pay any attention to her lest they show an opening to their enemy.

"Hey you!" Ayame shouted as she jumped down near the redhead, who jolted as Ayame landed on the concrete. "Who the hell are you? What were you doing in my house? And how the hell did you summon that Servant?"

"Servant…what?" Shirou Emiya stammered out before rallying. "And your house? This is _my_ house! And before asking others for their names, why don't you give yours first?"

Ayame's eye twitched. "That last is a valid response…but no! That's _my_ house!" she yelled.

"No, it's not!"

"Yes, it is!"

"NO!"

"FINE!" Ayame said before clapping her hands together, magic circuits glowing blue as golden light flared between her hands. "We'll see about that…glitter, Fairy Lights!"

Prana flowed into the spell…and then to Ayame's surprise, the draw increased, gulping down a large chunk of her prana. The golden light spread, coming from her whole body now and not just from between her hands, and then turned to blinding as the two sides of the World were connected for an instant and an eternity.

And then it faded, as countless golden motes of light swirled around the two Humans and the two Servants, filling the air with a soothing, calming, and triumphant presence. "Fairies…?" Altria gasped in surprise as she and Arthur disengaged.

"Ayame…what is…?" he whispered.

Shirou stared at Ayame, who was staring up, and at the countless fairies around them. The fairies flew faster and faster around them, their individual lights merging into one and growing brighter and brighter, and then…

…all was light.

* * *

 _The morning breeze blew cool and crisp over the hilltop, the green grass flowing with the wind, as did the golden hair of the adolescent young man standing before the stone. Gold, steel, and blue enamel shone in the morning Sun, the Sword in the Stone pristine and untouched as it was when it was first placed in the stone years ago, to await the coming of the rightful king._

"Saber…that's you." Ayame pointed out.

Arthur sighed. "Yes, that's me." He said. "I am certain you know what is going to happen next."

"…you're going to draw the sword from the stone?"

"Yes."

Shirou gaped at Arthur. "Then," he began. "You're _the_ King Arthur."

Ayame and Arthur turned to him. "Yes, I am…" Arthur began only to be interrupted.

"Ridiculous!" Altria snapped before leveling her sword at Arthur and Ayame. "I do not know with what sorcery you are attempting to pull off such mockery, but I will not…!"

 _The young man stepped forward, a hand rising to reach out for the sword, when an older man seated on another stone nearby spoke up. "He who takes the sword from the stone shall be the King of Britain." He said, watching from beneath a white hood that shadowed most of his face._

Altria stared. So did Arthur.

"T-that's Merlin." The former stammered out.

"Yes, that's Merlin." The latter confirmed.

Altria glared at Arthur, and was about to say something when she was interrupted.

 _"Arthur, take heed. Once you draw that sword, you won't be Human anymore."_

 _Arthur smiled softly, and briefly closed his eyes. "Maybe," he admitted before taking the sword with both hands. "Maybe not…either way, I'll take responsibility. Both for myself…and for our country."_

 _And with that, King Arthur pulled the sword from the stone, and raised it into the air._

The vision faded to white, and then…

 _The morning breeze blew cool and crisp over the hilltop, the green grass flowing with the wind, the skies above touched with rose and gold by the light of the morning. A young woman tied her blonde hair behind her head, and then approached the stone. Gold, steel, and blue enamel shone in the morning light, the Sword in the Stone pristine and untouched as it was when it was first placed in the stone years ago, to await the coming of the rightful king._

Shirou and Ayame looked back and forth between Arthur and Altria. "Okay," Ayame began while scratching her head. "What the fuck is going on?"

"Language, Ayame." Arthur said, before lowering his face slightly in Altria's direction. "Who are you?"

"I am Altria Pendragon," Altria said with a sigh, eyes focused on her past self, her face an unreadable mask. "Daughter of King Uther Pendragon and Queen Igraine, the rightful King of Britain."

"Is that so?" Arthur said, turning to the stone before nodding slowly. "I think I'm beginning to understand. To reciprocate, I am Arthur Pendragon, son of King Uther Pendragon and Queen Igraine, the rightful King of Britain."

"…parallel selves?" Ayame breathed.

"It seems that way." Arthur said. "It would explain our similarities, from the color of our hair and eyes, the way we fight, the swords we wield, and…and even this."

Arthur gestured at their surroundings, and Altria nodded. "I concur." She said.

"But…how?" Shirou asked.

 _The young woman stepped forward, a hand rising to reach out for the sword, an older man seated on another stone nearby speaking up as she did so. "Whosoever pulls the sword from the stone shall be the rightful King of Britain." He said, watching from beneath a white hood that shadowed most of his face. "Altria, be warned. Once you take that sword, you won't be Human anymore."_

 _Altria nodded, and grasped the sword with one hand. "I know." She said with a small smile. "But even so, I would take this sword of my own free will."_

 _And then tightening her grip, Altria pulled the sword forth of the stone._

Altria closed her eyes as the world around them went white. "Do you regret it?" Arthur asked.

"Do you?" Altria asked back, but before Arthur could reply their surroundings changed once more.

 _Rain fell from a leaden sky, pouring heavily down on burning ruins. Steam hissed as the rain fell, water evaporating as it struck searing-hot stone and metal, flames spluttering as the water soaked into their fuel and drowned them into inactivity._

 _Smoke rose in grey columns as the fires died down, and then subsided themselves as smoldering fuel was doused and cooled by the rain. A boy stumbled through the ruins, his clothes singed and blackened, burns dotting patches of exposed skin, his eyes and face alike blank from his experiences._

"No…" Shirou whispered. "This is…this is…"

"This is where we born, in a manner of speaking." Ayame whispered. "Parallel selves, huh?"

"Then…you?" Shirou said while turning to Ayame.

Ayame smiled at her brother. "The name's Ayame Emiya." She said. "Though I have to say, you got off easy compared to me."

"You call this easy?" Shirou spluttered, and gesturing around them.

"Well, if my guess is right, the next vision will be about me, and…well, you'll see." Ayame said. "Though…I get the feeling there's more differences between you and me. I don't think we're…completely parallel, like Saber…well, Arthur and Altria here."

"…what makes you say that?"

"Even with gender, hair, and eye colors aside, we don't exactly look alike, do we?"

Shirou focused on Ayame, taking in her features, and after several moments nodded. "Yeah, I think you may be right." He said. "Anyway…my name's Shirou Emiya. Nice to meet you, Ayame-san."

Ayame laughed. "Just 'Ayame' is fine." She said, and Shirou smiled slightly.

"Okay…Ayame…"

The sound of water and mud splashing drew their attention, and they turned back to the vision.

 _The boy lay silent, breathing weakly as he stared up at the leaden sky, uncaring of the rainfall on and around him, and splashing into the blackened ground. And then slowly, the boy closed his eyes, his breathing growing weaker, seemingly allowing himself to give way to the temptation to just let go. The rain continuing to fall on and around him, the cooling air and the muddy ground stealing the warmth from his body, but it didn't matter anymore. All that was left was to wait for death to come for him._

"I was ready to die at the time." Shirou whispered, almost to himself. "I remember…yes…I remember. I remember the fires all around me, and the screams of the people dying in the flames. I remember walking through the ruins, ignoring the people asking for help…for me not to leave them to die alone…just keep walking forward…just one step at a time…to keep going…no matter how much it hurt…no matter how many people I left behind to die…just…just so I could stay alive."

Arthur, Altria, and Ayame stared at Shirou, not with judging or even pitying eyes, but with sympathy. Given the scale of the ruins around them, none of them could blame a child for doing as Shirou did to stay alive. Not even Ayame, who unlike Shirou had never walked through the burning ruins, but…

…but what exactly…?

Shirou took a deep and shuddering breath, and looked up at the sky above. "When the morning came," he whispered. "When the rain began to fall, and the flames died…it just all came back to me. Everything I'd done on the previous night…so I thought…maybe it was my turn. I'd come that far, didn't I?"

"It's not your fault, Master." Saber said softly, and placed a sympathetic hand on his shoulder.

Shirou glanced at Saber, but didn't say anything. Taking a deep breath, he turned in the direction of slow, heavy footsteps splashing through the mud, the others following after him. Ayame's eyes widened at the sight. "…dad?" she whispered, and Shirou nodded.

"Yes." He said. "It's dad."

 _Mud splashed as Kiritsugu Emiya fell to his knees, tears and rainwater mixing on his face, twisted with a desperate smile. It was the smile of someone who'd found what he was looking for, the smile of someone who'd suffered so much and was finally being saved from his torment._

 _The boy's eyes opened to look blankly at Kiritsugu for a long moment, and then closed them again as his strength failed him. And then Kiritsugu pulled forth something golden, pristine, and beautiful, and with a faint glow of gold, placed it inside the boy before pulling him into a crushing, desperate embrace._

"D-d-d-did you see that?" Arthur asked, an eye twitching as the vision faded to white.

"Yes, I did." Altria said, her cheek twitching. "T-that was…"

"Avalon." Arthur finished.

"Isn't Avalon a place though?" Ayame asked.

"Yes," Arthur said. "But it shares its name with Excalibur's sheath. Do you know what it's capable of?"

"…as long as one has it, then one can never spill a single drop of blood."

"An oversimplification," Altria grumbled. "But fundamentally…that damn Kiritsugu…how and where did he get his hands on it?"

"Wait," Shirou began, stirring at the mention of his dad's name. "How did you know dad's name?"

Altria looked disinclined to answer, but didn't have to as another vision was upon them.

 _Kiritsugu Emiya stumbled out of the ruins, and past neat rows of bodies lying beneath white sheets and wet plastic tarps. His eyes were distant and hollow, his face marked by despair and horror. Coming to a halt in the middle of the emergency station, the man fell to his knees, looking around him at all the dead bodies left by the fire._

 _Closing his eyes, the man briefly looked up at the sky as though to rage against such meaningless death and destruction, but in the end could do and say nothing but slump in on himself. For a long time, he just knelt there, in the mud and the rain, but then…he heard something._

 _For a long moment Kiritsugu just knelt, listening to that faint, almost inaudible sound, and then with speed born of desperation, he stumbled to his feet and staggered towards one of the bodies._

"Is that you, Ayame?" Arthur asked.

"I don't know." Ayame replied. "I remember the fire…the pain…people screaming all around me…but that's it. That's the earliest I remember. After that…it's just waking up in a hospital room."

 _Kiritsugu pulled back the tarp and the white cloth, exposing a child, gasping ragged, wet, and sickly breaths in the cool and damp air. Her skin was gone, burned away with her scalp, leaving blackened and rapidly-festering flesh beneath, and in some places her skull gleamed through with the pale color of bone. Her eyes had been reduced to weeping masses of ruined flesh, oozing with pus and ichor, and her smile was ruined beyond repair, her lips burst and her teeth shattered._

Eyes turned in horror to Ayame, who looked surprisingly unaffected. "Well," she eventually said, watching as Kiritsugu desperately put Avalon inside of her as well. "That explains quite a few things."

"That's it?" Shirou asked incredulously. "That's all you're going to say?"

"What else do you expect me to say?" Ayame asked. "Well…there is something. Dad never did say how bad it was when he found me, and only told me the cold, clinical report of the doctors. And I understand why."

The vision around them faded to white, and then shifted once more.

 _"Oh I haven't seen this place before." Ayame remarked as she came to a halt outside a café with an old-fashioned façade. Well, the façade was old-fashioned, but the café certainly wasn't. She'd gone down this street many times in the past, and this wasn't here before. Unless of course, she just didn't notice._

 _That happens._

 _"Would you like to try it out?" Saber asked._

 _"Sure, why not?" Ayame said with a shrug. "Nothing wrong with giving it a go. If it's no good, then we'll simply not come back. But if it's good…then we know to come back."_

 _Saber laughed and followed Ayame inside the café._

"…what?" Ayame and Arthur asked at the same time.

"Um…is this supposed to be…relevant?" Altria asked as the vision turned white.

"I…I don't know."

 _The waitress stood aside as Ayame and Saber got up from their seats, and bowed as they made for the exit. Exiting the café, Ayame and Saber stood on the street for a few moments, their breath steaming in the cold winter air. "Shame it's not snowing." Ayame said. "I like the snow."_

 _"Really?"_

 _"Yeah," Ayame said with a nod. "Dad always said my hair was like the snow…for all that my hair is a scar left behind by that fire, the fact that dad…"_

 _Trailing off, Ayame sighed and shook her head slightly. "Well, never mind that." She said before turning to walk up the street. "Let's go, Saber."_

"Okay, now I'm completely lost." Ayame said, their surroundings turning white, and then to gold, as they found themselves standing on the street once more, surrounded by the shimmering, golden light of the fairies.

Several fairies flew around them, flashing softly. They alighted on Shirou and Ayame alike, and on the swords carried by the Pendragon Kings.

Encased by the golden light, Arthur and Altria lifted their swords, and tilting their heads rested their foreheads against the flat of their blades. Shirou looked at his softly glowing form in amazement, and without any words spoken felt the fairies tell him to trust in his sister, and that what she would soon say was nothing but the truth.

"Parallel selves…parallel realms…timelines…but how?" Ayame softly said while staring at the fairies sitting on her raised arm. "Kaleidoscope…that café…Ahnenerbe?"

* * *

"What's that?" Rin shouted as she and Archer leapt across the suburbs, and landed not far from a glowing, golden dome that cut across the street and into properties on either side.

"Your guess is as good as mine." Archer said, before narrowing his eyes. "Or maybe not…"

"Archer?"

Archer narrowed his eyes, ignoring Rin as he approached the dome. Coming to a halt just before it, he took it in from top to bottom and side to side, and then reaching out with a hand, touched it.

With a hiss, Archer sprang back, his hand smoking and bleeding. "Archer!" Rin shouted.

"Stay back, Rin!" Archer shouted. He drew one of his scimitars and nudged the dome…only for the blade to shatter at its touch.

"What is that thing?" Rin shouted.

"I'm not sure, but I have my suspicions." Archer said, as he pulled out another Noble Phantasm, this one a dagger with a strange-looking, jagged blade that shone with a faint iridescence. Again, he used it to nudge the dome, all the while whispering its name. "Rule Breaker."

The Noble Phantasm shattered on touching the dome, and with no effect. Well…there was one. The dome flashed and then lashed out with a golden bolt that sent the Knight of the Bow flying, his cuirass breaking into pieces that flew through the air.

"Archer…!" Rin said, rushing to her Servant.

"Not one of my brighter ideas…" he muttered, giving a half-smile, half-grimace at his Master. Rin was not impressed.

"Enough with your empty bravados, you tanned stuck-up." Rin ground out. "Answer me: what the hell is that thing?"

"I'm not sure what it is." Archer said while getting to his feet, and with a touch restored his armor. "But I know what made it."

"Oh?"

"Fey magic."

"That's impossible." Rin said. "No magus since the Early Middle Ages has wielded fey magic. It's a lost form of magecraft, almost like…no, comparable to True Magic."

"Then if you have a better explanation for that dome, I'm all ears." Archer said with a gesture at the dome.

"It's um…I…it could be…no…um…"

"Yeah, that's what I thought." Archer said snidely, and earning him a glare from Rin. Before she could say anything though, the dome flashed, and then dispersed into countless, gently drifting motes of gold, each of which was clearly alive and intelligent and possessed power beyond Human comprehension.

"…fairies…" Rin said blankly, a shaking finger pointing in disbelief at the fairies flying off into the night, back to the Reverse Side of the World.

"You were saying?"

"…shut up."

Archer grinned, and then turned back to where the dome once stood. The grin faded as he saw. There was Shirou Emiya. There was a white-haired girl of his age, dressed in the girl's uniform of Homurahara Academy. And there was a male and female Saber, looking so alike they could be siblings, both carrying Excalibur unsealed by Invisible Air. Faced with that, there was only one thing he could really say.

"Well fuck."

* * *

A/N

And there we go. The Emiya siblings and the Pendragon Twins – not really but close enough – finally find out about each other.

Then we have Rin and EMIYA, the latter trolling Rin as usual…only to get trolled himself when he finds himself up against Arthur and Altria, both with Excalibur no longer sealed by Invisible Air.

Sorry EMIYA, you win some and you lose some.


	4. Part IV

Disclaimer: I do not own the Fate franchise it belongs to Kinoko Nasu and Type-Moon.

Adventures in Canon

Part IV

"Very intellectual, Archer." Arthur remarked as he took a protective stance between his Master and the newly-arrived enemy.

"Indeed," Altria agreed, doing likewise but much more aggressively than her brother. "This presents a golden opportunity, as it seems to me. I shall take the left…brother. The right is yours."

Arthur narrowed his eyes while nodding slowly, while Archer looked grim but determined. Before hostilities could commence though, Ayame cut in. "Stand down, this doesn't have to come to a fight." She said.

"What?" Altria asked.

"Ayame's right." Shirou put in. "I don't even…"

Shirou broke off at a sharp glance from Ayame, and quickly gathering his thoughts, took a different track. "Look…it's late, and things have gotten out of control." He said with a sigh. "So, why don't we all just calm down, and call it a night, alright?"

Arthur nodded slowly again, though he remained in a defensive stance, however Altria was more belligerent. "I will not obey those orders." She snapped. "If an enemy comes before us, it is only a matter of course that they must be defeated."

"Oh?" Archer's Master remarked, in a voice that had Ayame's eyes narrowing in recognition. " _The_ Saber refusing her Master's orders?"

Altria looked offended, only for Rin Tohsaka to walk closer seemingly unconcerned. "Won't you lower your weapons?" she asked, hands held out on either side.

"My weapon is not lowered before an enemy!" Altria snapped, but Arthur relaxed, lowering his sword if keeping a wary eye on Archer.

"…sister," he began. "Knights should not raise their weapons against unarmed foes, even if they be magi who need no weapon to fight with."

Altria briefly shot a glance at Arthur, and after a moment followed his lead. Rin smiled. "Well then," she said, running a hand through one of her pigtails. "Good evening, Emiya-kun."

"…Tohsaka-san?" Shirou asked in confused recognition. "What are you doing here?"

"Now that, is a very good question." Rin said with a cheerful smile and tone. "Could I come in to answer you properly?"

"Um…I guess…"

"That is out of the question." Ayame interrupted. "If my brother has any questions about this matter, then I will be the one to answer him."

Rin looked displeased at the interruption. "Who are you?" she demanded.

"Ayame Emiya," Ayame immediately said. "Now why don't you go home now, Tohsaka? My brother and I have family matters to discuss. You understand how it goes, don't you?"

Rin's face was like carved ice. "You understand that I am the Second Owner of this territory, don't you?" she asked just as coldly.

Ayame laughed, causing Rin to growl and for Archer to place a calming hand on her shoulder. "You are the Second Owner, yes." Ayame admitted before theatrically raising her hands to indicate everything around them. "And this is the Fifth Holy Grail War. Your authority, and the protection that your office grants you, is null and void in such a situation."

Rin narrowed her eyes. "That may be so," she said. "That said, this is the first I've ever heard of you, Ayame Emiya. If that's who you really are, of course."

"She's who she says is." Shirou said before taking a deep breath and massaging his temples. "Look…as I said earlier, it's late, and things have really, _really_ , gotten out of hand. I'd really like to _not_ have to fight right now, and as my sister said we've got…family business, to talk about. Privately: you're a magus, aren't you Tohsaka-san? I'm sure you understand what that means."

Rin pursed her lips, and Archer squeezed her shoulder. She glanced once at her Servant, and after a moment he nodded at her. Rin sighed. "I suppose I do." She said. "One question: is Ayame Emiya really your sister?"

Shirou didn't hesitate. "She is." He said, and Rin sighed again.

"Alright, I'll take your word for it." She said. "In any case, it does look like I'm at a disadvantage here, so I'd be better served to back off…for now. But,"

Rin paused and shot a glare at Ayame, who met it without flinching. "This isn't over, Ayame Emiya." Rin warned.

"No, it isn't." Ayame agreed, and after a moment Rin turned to leave, Archer vanishing into astral form as she did so. Shirou and Ayame watched with their Servants until Rin was no longer in sight, and then Shirou turned to Ayame.

"What was that all about?" he demanded.

"Not here," Ayame said while gesturing to the house with her head. "Inside."

Shirou looked at her hard, but after a few moments he sighed and nodded. "Alright," he said. "Inside then."

* * *

"I must agree with your brother, Ayame." Arthur said, once they were all safely inside. "That was unnecessarily belligerent of you."

"Hold that thought." Ayame said with a raised finger, and then turned to her brother. "I'm going to make a reasoned guess based on some of the things you said earlier, and ask some simple questions. Answer them, and I'll answer all your questions later."

"…um…okay…" Shirou said with some confusion. "…that seems fair…"

"Right," Ayame said with a nod. "What do you know about the Holy Grail War?"

"That it's the cause of all the strange things that have happened to me tonight?"

"Strange things?"

"Let's see…I think it was Lancer and Archer, or rather me running across them fighting it out at school," Shirou answered crossly. "Then Lancer noticing me and chasing me down to stab me in the chest…"

"He did what!"

"He stabbed me in the chest!" Shirou said, patting at his bloody uniform. "Not sure how I'm still alive to be honest…anyway, I somehow survived, came home, found myself chased down and forced to fight Lancer, only getting kicked around for it…if I hadn't somehow… _summoned_ , Saber here…"

"…you'd be dead by now." Ayame said deadpan before massaging her temples. "Okay…that's weird alright…and I'd like to look into how you survived getting stabbed by Lancer and in the chest no less, but that can wait…"

"…in short," Arthur cut in. "We're still in the early, if not the very beginning of the contest. Huh…I admit that explains your belligerence to Tohsaka, Ayame. Wise and prudent, too."

"Thanks…"

"Hey now," Shirou began. "I'm not sure what you're trying to say, but Tohsaka…okay, I'll admit she can be…cold, and aloof, but I don't think she's a bad girl, and I think you're being a bit judgmental about her, and saying too much bad things about her without knowing much about her…"

"She looks, sounds, talks, and act the same as she did in our world." Ayame interrupted. "At least up until a certain point…and until she reaches that point, I won't trust her."

"That's not…"

"You know what magi are like, brother." Ayame interrupted again. "You said as much earlier. If so, then you know just how dangerous she can be."

"Yes, I do." Shirou said grimly but resolutely. "But just because she _could_ be my enemy, it doesn't mean she _has_ to be my enemy."

Ayame stared. Shirou stared back. Ayame sighed and shook her head. "You're too trusting, brother." She said. "You're actually serious about everything you've said. Well, if that's how you are…I can't really stop you. That said…"

Ayame paused, and this time it was Shirou's turn to be taken aback by the cold fire in her eyes. "You should be more careful, brother." She said. "Otherwise, you might not get through this alive. Anyway…this way to the living room, right? If I'm going to explain to you just what we're all stuck in, we might as well get comfortable for it."

"Hmm…yes, of course…um, this way."

Shirou led the way to the living room, and on arriving Ayame yelped at the wrecked state of the place. "Yeah, sorry about the mess." Shirou said with an exasperated sigh, and rubbing at his head. "But, my fight with Lancer started here, and well…"

Shirou trailed off, letting the scene tell the rest of it. He sighed afterwards. "How am I exactly supposed to fix this, especially the doors…" he muttered.

Ayame glanced at him with a raised eyebrow, and then thinking for a moment nodded slowly. "I'll take care of it." She said.

"Huh, what?"

"I'll take care of it." Ayame repeated. "I am imposing in your house, so I might well earn a little of my keep."

Shirou stared, slightly agape, as Ayame walked forward and gathered all the broken pieces of wood and paper that made up the sliding doors leading out to the veranda. Piling them up near the ruined doors, Ayame held her hand over them. Blue lines glowed over exposed skin as her magic circuits opened, and with a slight hint of ozone in the air, the broken pieces of wood and paper _flowed_ and knitted back together. A moment later, and the sliding doors were as they were meant to be.

"A bit crude and simple," Ayame said with a pat on the doors. "Just alteration really, where most magi would probably use elemental magic or some other stuff. Personally, I like to think doing things the simple way to work just fine."

"…I guess I can't argue with that." Shirou said with a cough. "Anyway, let me fix up this mess. I can clean up the spilled food and furniture easily enough."

"Ah, let me help out."

Shirou smiled. "It's fine." He said. "You're a guest. You shouldn't have to push yourself. And you've done enough already, fixing the doors. This much I can handle on my own."

"Nonsense," Ayame scoffed, already helping Shirou gather the spilled food. "We're family. And family is meant to help each other."

"Well, that is true." Shirou conceded, before smiling wider. "Then, thank you for your help."

Ayame smiled and nodded. "You're welcome." She said.

* * *

"This is not good at all."

Rin and Archer were standing in the former's living room. Well, Archer was leaning against a wall, while Rin was pacing back and forth. " _Two_ Sabers." Rin muttered to herself. "Talk about an unfair advantage."

"Is that even possible?" Archer asked.

"We saw it, didn't we?" Rin snapped. "And, it's happened before. I don't remember the details, such as the classes of the Servants involved, but during the Third Holy Grail War, the Edelfelt Clan sent literal twin magi as Masters to participate in their name, and they summoned two variants of the same Servant for themselves. So yes, it's very definitely possible."

"Yes...but the Emiya…siblings, don't exactly look alike…"

"They could just be fraternal twins." Rin said dismissively. "If so, then they don't have to look alike."

Archer shrugged to concede the point, while Rin continued to pace. "More importantly," she said. "To think there was another magus living on my property without me knowing or even noticing. Talk about an oversight…and how shameful…"

"On that note," Archer said. "I don't think you can be held responsible. No offense, but you are fairly young and inexperienced as a magus, so…"

Archer broke off and held out his hands in a gesture of peace as Rin glared. "I'm not saying anything against your abilities, and all the effort you've put into getting this far." He said. "What I'm saying is the undeniable fact you are still…what, sixteen? Seventeen? Even if you started training at say…four, you couldn't have been exposed to much at that age or indeed, until you reached a certain age, like say, ten or so. Academically-speaking, you're a fine magus, just being able to summon me proves that much, but based on your age, in terms of real experience…"

"You'd be surprised." Rin interrupted coldly before sighing. "But I see your point. And while I hate to admit it, it is a valid one. Thank you."

Archer nodded. "You're welcome." He said.

Rin stopped pacing to stroke her chin. "Emiya though," she said with narrowed eyes. "The sister…I've never heard of her before…that could be because she was training or studying or something somewhere else all this time but still…"

"Rin…?"

"I've never felt much prana coming from Emiya-kun before, if at all." Rin said. "It's possible that he may be the spare between them, and only ever received the most basic of training for one reason or another. His sister though…much of what I could sense was swamped by the presence of so many Servants all in one place, but it was much, _much_ greater than her brother's, there's no doubt about that."

"So you're saying then that the Emiya boy is no real threat?" Archer asked.

"No, he's a threat too." Rin said. "Even with only basic training, he managed to summon a Servant. Best not to underestimate him…but, it can be safely assumed the Emiya sister is the real deal between them, and her brother just support. In short…"

Archer nodded, and narrowed his eyes. "He's the weak link." He said, and Rin nodded as well.

"Yes, that just might be the case." She said. "And if he is, then there should be a way we can use that knowledge."

* * *

"What would you wish for?"

As promised, Ayame answered all of Shirou's questions. They were very professional, concerned about the Holy Grail War, what the Holy Grail actually was, and of course the Masters and Servants. And having learned all that, Shirou asked the question that naturally followed them.

"I…don't really know, to be honest." Ayame answered with a sigh but making sure to meet Shirou's eyes. "I joined this war for three reasons and three reasons alone. One, I didn't want to get killed by being dragged into all…this, without a fighting chance of getting through it alive, then to keep the mistakes of the past from getting repeated, and finally, to keep people who can't be trusted with the Grail from winning the prize."

"Mistakes of the past?" Shirou echoed, and Ayame's expression turned grim.

"We were born in the ruins of the Fourth Holy Grail War, brother." She said, and Shirou's expression turned horrified.

"Then…that fire…"

"Yes," Ayame nodded. "That fire…the cause of which is officially unknown, was caused by the Fourth Holy Grail War. I don't know what the Masters and Servants of that war did to set it off…but the results…"

Ayame trailed off, looking away and Shirou doing likewise. "I…I believe you." He said after a moment and a deep, shuddering breath. "Having gone through that hell myself…and knowing what caused it…I too would want to keep it from happening again, and to keep it away from anyone who'd try and set something like that off again. And of course…I don't see any reason why I should die in something as selfish and stupid as this… _contest_."

Ayame met Shirou's eyes and after several moments closed her eyes with a laugh. "We really are siblings, aren't we?" she asked.

"Siblings…I like that." Shirou said with a laugh of his own. "Sounds better than 'parallel selves', when you think about it."

"Ha! It does, doesn't it?"

Ayame and Shirou shared a laugh, and Arthur smiled at the children being children, and while Altria was more stoic, she did manage a small, barely-noticeable smile of her own. "Well," Shirou said with a nod at Arthur and Altria. "I won't ask about…Arthur and Altria's wishes."

"You'd trust us that easily?" Arthur asked.

"I like to think the best of people I meet." Shirou said with a smile and a shrug. "And besides, Ayame did say Masters and Servants reflect each other. So I assume your reasons for joining in this war are the same or at least similar to Ayame's own. I can accept that."

"I see."

"As for Altria," Shirou said, pausing to lose himself in Altria's face for a few moments. "Well…we've only just met. If she wants to tell me her wishes for the Grail, then I'll wait for her to tell me at her own time."

Altria met Shirou's eyes, green staring into gold, and then after several moments Altria closed her eyes and bowed her head. "I am humbled by your trust." She said. "I can only hope I can repay it in time."

Shirou nodded, and then yawning glanced at his watch. "It's getting late." He said, and getting to his feet. "We should talk some more tomorrow. Shall I show you to your rooms?"

Ayame glanced at Arthur, and then rising to her feet, bowed to her brother. "Please do." She said.

Shirou nodded, and gestured for them to follow. "This way, then." He said, and Ayame nodded before following Shirou's lead.

* * *

A/N

Pretty much just something to bridge events. Nothing too important happens, apart from Rin's completely erroneous and alarmist – not that we can blame her – conclusions with regard to Ayame and Arthur.

Next chapter will be more impactful, what with the iris meeting the cherry blossom at last.


	5. Part V

Disclaimer: I do not own the Fate franchise it belongs to Kinoko Nasu and Type-Moon.

Adventures in Canon

Part V

The morning dawned bright and sunny, Shirou waking up to the loud chirping of birds and morning light shining through the paper of his room's sliding doors. Making his way to the nearest toilet, he freshened up, and then drawn by the sounds of steel striking steel, made his way to the dojo.

Sliding the doors open, his mouth fell open. Arthur and Altria were sparring, and not with wooden practice swords either, but with their actual weapons.

Shirou's first instinct was to immediately step in, and to stop the match before anyone could get hurt, but after only a couple of moments witnessing the two blondes, thought better of it. Altria pressed the offensive, charging with Excalibur falling in a smooth and precise one-handed blow. Arthur smoothly dodged to one side, Excalibur rising in one hand to smoothly and repeatedly parry a quick series of one-handed strikes, all the while giving way across the dojo floor.

And then suddenly feinting, Arthur dodged to one side, taking Excalibur into both hands before counterattacking. Altria refused to give way, riposting two-handed and then counterattacking in her turn, their matching blades meeting again and again in a masterful display of swordsmanship that had Shirou – with just a touch of shame – comparing as completely and _utterly_ beyond even those few veteran _kendo_ black belts he'd witnessed sparring in the past. Arthur and Altria traded blows smoothly, neither giving way and instead moving past and around each other as they did so, all the while holding relatively the same ground.

"Morning, brother." Ayame piped up from one corner, and blinking Shirou turned and walked to her.

"Good morning," he returned the greeting. "How long have they been…um, sparring?"

Ayame grinned up at him. "What was with the pause?" she asked.

Shirou grinned back and glanced at Arthur and Altria. "Not sure I can call _this_ a spar." He said. "I've seen _spars_. This? This is something else entirely."

Ayame laughed. "True," she said. "But when you think about it, it does make a strange bit of sense. That people from back then could use swords far better than any of us could possibly hope to today, that is."

"I guess I can't argue with you there."

The Emiya siblings shared a smile between them, and then Shirou zeroed in on the collection of papers and a folder lying on the floor before Ayame. "What's that?" he asked.

"Forgeries."

"Wait, what?"

"A question for a question then: Fuji-nee's your guardian too, isn't she?"

"How did…oh right, the photos."

"Bingo!" Ayame said with a clap of her hand. "Anyway, my point is we can't just walk in front of her and claim I'm your sister without any proof. Bluffing Tohsaka is easy, magi aren't really all that sharp when you get down to it, but Fuji-nee? Really?"

"Yeah," Shirou said with a sick expression on his face. "Bluffing Fuji-nee…that's…not really going to go well…at all…okay, I see what you mean."

"Hence all this stuff." Ayame said with a gesture at her forgeries. "Also, since I borrowed these spare clothes from you, I need to ask permission to alter them. They're obviously borrowed from you, and if we're going to pull off um…tricking, Fuji-nee that I'm your sister who's come for a visit from abroad, yeah…it'll be really suspicious if I don't have clothes of my own."

"I can always just buy you clothes later today, you know."

"…you don't have to go that far…"

"It's fine." Shirou interrupted with a smile and a nod. "I can pay for a few sets of clothes."

"But I can't just…"

Shirou smiled wider and shook his head. "Really, it's alright." He interrupted again. "Besides, you are my 'sister'. And siblings are supposed to look out for each other when they need to, don't they? So it's fine."

Ayame looked uncomfortable, and scratched at her head before looking away. "Um…thank you very much." She finally said, and Shirou laughed.

"But," he said. "Since we can't buy new clothes until later on, and we need to pull some trickery this morning, sure, go ahead. Alter those clothes you're wearing right now."

Ayame nodded, and getting up patted herself down. Magic circuits briefly flickered over her skin, and then her clothes were shifting in appearance, the blue on her sleeves fading away into the white background, while the collar and hem turned red. Similarly, a red stripe appeared around the middle of the shirt, decorated with three white circles, and flanked by two thinner stripes of the same color. Her shorts also shifted, not in color but size, matching her proportions better than before.

"How do I look?" Ayame asked, and Shirou responded with a raised thumb.

"Nice!" he said with a grin, and Ayame laughed.

Shirou laughed too, and then the siblings turned to look as Arthur roared and stabbed forward at an opening. Altria raised Excalibur to block, one hand pressed against the flat of her blade, Excalibur's point striking against the opposite side and sending the blonde woman flying back across the dojo.

But even then, she landed elegantly and in a guard position, ready to block the follow up. It didn't come, as instead two pairs of green eyes met and after a moment, the two blondes were nodding, and lowering their swords approached to shake hands. "A draw then?" Arthur asked.

"Indeed," Altria said with a nod. "Though I never thought I'd ever concede such to any beside Lancelot."

Arthur laughed, though there was a hint of sadness there. "Indeed…Lancelot…" he murmured.

As the two blondes shared a meaningful silence between them, Shirou turned back to Ayame. "So," he began. "What did you have in mind?"

* * *

The grocery bags fell to the floor with a loud thump. "Emiya-sempai," Sakura Matou began with a shocked and surprised voice. "What's the meaning of this?"

"Oh, Sakura." Shirou said, getting to his feet from the table where he'd been enjoying some tea with Ayame. "Let me introduce you. This is my sister, well, stepsister, actually, Ayame Emiya. Ayame, this is my junior from school, Sakura Matou."

"Sakura…Matou…?" Ayame said while getting to her feet before giving a polite bow. "I see…it's nice to meet you. I am Ayame Emiya. My brother's told me a lot about you."

"H-he has?" Sakura began.

"Yes," Ayame nodded. "He's told me you've been a good friend and a great help to him more than once. Seeing as I haven't been able to do my part despite being family…thank you very much for all you've done for my brother."

Ayame bowed again, and this time Sakura blushed while fidgeting. "I-it's nothing." She said. "E-Emiya-sempai's also been very good to me…very much…so it's nothing really. And I…enjoy his company so…"

Ayame blinked, and for a moment Shirou was puzzled by an indecipherable expression on her face, though it quickly vanished. "Anyway," Ayame continued. "I'm sorry to suddenly impose, but the boarding school I've been studying at since our dad died has had to close down for maintenance for a week, so I thought I ought to visit with the chance coming around and all that."

"It's alright." Sakura said, taking the groceries Shirou had picked up and passed to her with a grateful nod. "But…if I might ask…why haven't you gotten in touch in all this time?"

Ayame laughed uneasily. "About that…" she said while scratching at her head with an embarrassed expression on her face.

"Well," Shirou began. "Let's just say that dad…and Ayame's mom weren't…um, married. So…while dad let her use his name…you get the idea."

"Oh I see." Sakura said with a nod before bowing herself. "I'm sorry for bringing up something so private. In any case, it's no trouble at all if you'd like to join us for breakfast this morning. I'll just have to adjust, though we should be able to make do without too much trouble."

"Oh, let me help out." Ayame began while heading for the kitchen, but Sakura shook her head.

"No, no," she said while entering the kitchen and fetching an apron. "You're sempai's guest. It wouldn't be proper."

"But…"

"It's fine." Sakura said. "Just relax until breakfast time."

"Then…I apologize for imposing."

"It's fine." Sakura said with a bright smile that took all of Ayame's willpower not to break at the sight of. "It's no trouble at all."

Ayame only bowed again before sitting down.

* * *

"Well, everything seems to check out." Taiga said after skimming through Ayame's forged – not that Taiga knew it – documents. "Still…to just leave an orphaned kid to all but fend for herself at a Tokyo boarding school…damn Kiritsugu."

"Um…that's…rather much…isn't it?" Ayame asked uncomfortably.

"Is it?" Taiga snapped. "Bad enough that he didn't do the responsible thing when he had you with your mother, but that he just left you in Tokyo instead of bringing you here where you could have grown up with your brother and I…it's so irresponsible!"

"I'm sure…dad had his reasons…"

"Yes, I suppose he did." Taiga said with a sigh while scratching her head before finally crossing her arms. "And it _would_ be just like him. It's still no excuse though!"

"…I guess not." Ayame said with a sigh. "But…for all his faults…he was still my dad, you know."

Taiga made an unhappy sound, and scratched her head again. "Maybe I've said too much." She admitted. "Sorry…"

Ayame shook her head and smiled at Taiga. "It's alright." She said, and Taiga nodded at her.

"So tell me," she began. "How's it like, growing up in such a big city like Tokyo?"

"Well," Ayame began. "To be honest…I'm not really sure how to describe it. I mean…it's all I've known since as far back as I could remember, so I don't really know how or what to compare."

"Understandable," Taiga said with a sage nod before she grinned. "Though I can see one point of comparison."

"Huh?"

"Your hair!" Taiga said. "It's bleached, isn't it?"

"Well…yes…is that a problem?"

"Not really," Taiga said. "It's just that you don't really see fashions like that around here very often. Of course, in Tokyo things are very different, given how fast and high things go there."

"Well, that's true." Ayame said with a grin. "I've only been in Fuyuki for a couple of days more or less, and things certainly are less hectic around here. I mean, it's still a big city in its own way, but it's much less busy than Tokyo is, that's for sure."

Ayame and Taiga shared a laugh, even as Shirou and Sakura arrived with breakfast. "It's breakfast time, everyone." Sakura said while placing the steaming platters on the table. "Though, that doesn't mean we can't continue talking about how life is like in Tokyo over the table."

"Wow…everything looks and smells so delicious!" Taiga gushed. "Ayame-chan, here's something you'll find only here at Fuyuki and nowhere else no matter how hard you look! Sakura-chan's delicious home cooking!"

"Oh my," Sakura said with a giggle and a blush, and Ayame nodded.

"I'm looking forward to it then." She said with a wide smile.

* * *

"This is messed up."

Eyes turned to Ayame, who was looking up at the sky with an unhappy expression on her face, while standing in the middle of the yard. Apart from herself, there was Arthur and Altria, everyone else having gone to school. And while Altria would normally be expected to accompany her Master, the fact that she could _not_ enter astral form had come as an unpleasant surprise, and necessitated – in the short-term at least – a plan to bluff enemy Masters with regard to her absence.

Still, it was something that needed looking into when the chance came. For now though...

"What is?" Arthur asked.

"That girl," Ayame began. "Sakura…"

"…your sister." Arthur said much to Altria's surprise.

"How can she smile so warmly with all that's been done to her, and no doubt what's _still_ being done to her?" Ayame asked while gritting her teeth.

"If I had to guess," Arthur said after a moment. "Your brother."

"What?"

"You heard what she said earlier." Arthur said. "Your brother's been good to her. And she enjoys his company. That's probably the only ray of light in her life, what with Tohsaka otherwise cold and uncaring."

"That girl," Ayame said in disgust before walking over to a tree and punching it with a fist. "She probably cares, very deep down…more so than the Tohsaka we know, as that one had her façade cracked or something like it, by our sister's death. Here and now though…with Sakura alive, and seeming…content…"

Ayame paused, and Arthur mentally expected his Master to spit, though she did not. "She probably buries her feeling even deeper down than her counterpart does." She finally said.

"It's not entirely her fault." Arthur said while briefly closing her eyes. "As far as I know, that's just how things are in the world of the magi."

"Doesn't make it right."

"No, it certainly does not." Arthur agreed. "And knowing you, you plan on doing something about it, don't you?"

"…will you help me?"

Arthur tilted his head, his face marked by faux shock and surprise. "You're asking a _knight_ that question?" he asked.

Ayame laughed, and then Arthur turned to Altria, who sat stoic on the veranda. "This sounds a most serious matter." She said before glancing at her brother. "And it's also implied to be a matter of a knight fulfilling the ideals and obligations that come with their title. If it's not too much to ask, will you tell me more?"

Arthur then turned to Ayame, who nodded and approached. "Of course," she said. "Now, where shall we begin?"

* * *

A/N

To quote Arnie, I'm back.

So Ayame and Sakura meet, and things go well. They certainly get along very well, much more so than Rin and Sakura normally do. Now then, how will Ayame save her sister from Zouken's clutches? And how will Rin react to things as they develop?


	6. Part VI

Disclaimer: I do not own the Fate franchise it belongs to Kinoko Nasu and Type-Moon.

Adventures in Canon

Part VI

"I'm home." Shirou called as he entered his house's foyer, and closed the door behind him. There was no reply, and after taking off his shoes and putting on a pair of slippers, Shirou made his way further inside. "Hello? Ayame? Altria? Arthur?"

There was the sound of hurried footsteps as Shirou approached the living room, and Ayame appeared out of the doorway. "Oh, Shirou." She said, and Shirou blinked at the serious tone of her voice, and the matching expression on her face. "Good, you're home early. We have some things we need to talk about, and before anyone else gets here."

"Uh…okay…" Shirou said, and followed Ayame into the living room to sit down opposite from her across the living room table. "So…where are Arthur and Altria?"

"Keeping a watch." Ayame said before narrowing her eyes. "Tell me Shirou, do you care for that girl? Sakura Matou…?"

Shirou blinked. "Well, yeah." He said. "She's a very good friend. I'd trust her with my life, so if she needed my help, I'll do anything for her."

"Including risking your life for her?"

"…where is this conversation going?"

"What if I were to tell you that Sakura Matou was born Sakura Tohsaka," Ayame replied, making Shirou's eyes go wide. "And that she was sold as a child to the Matou Clan, and behind a façade of normality has been treated as nothing more than a guinea pig by her so-called family?"

"WHAT?"

Ayame briefly closed her eyes, and then sighed. And then she began to explain. She told Shirou about how Rin and Sakura were both born with immense magical potential, but how as a spare Sakura was of little value to the Tohsaka Clan. She then told of how the Matou Clan was supposed to be in decline, and due to a historical alliance with the Tohsaka asked for Sakura to be adopted into their family as their heiress.

Or so it seemed…Ayame then spoke of her past battles with the Matou Clan in her home timeline, of her clashes with Shinji and Zouken Matou, and how she and Kirei Kotomine theorized that all that was a façade. A means to hide an uncomfortable fact, that in truth the Matou were strong and healthy, that Tokiomi Tohsaka and Zouken had struck a secret pact. In exchange for any breakthroughs to be shared, Sakura would be surrendered to the Matou, who had the means and…objectivity, to _dissect_ her potential and learn from it facts that could be used to add to the path being forged to reach the Root.

A fact never shared to the Tohsaka heiress, either because Tokiomi had died before he could judge her ready to know, understand, and accept the fact…or because it was simply another skeleton in the Tohsaka's closet, meant to be shut away and forgotten for all time.

"…that girl…Sakura…" Ayame concluded. "She ultimately died as a result of the experiments. I understand you might be…doubtful, about what I'm telling you. But, are you willing to take the risk?"

"N-no…of course not…but…" Shirou stammered out, unwilling to doubt his sister but also unwilling to accept such…callousness, could exist, even if they were from magi. And he already knew just how far magi were willing to go to achieve their ends.

"If you want proof," Ayame continued. "Just look at her hair. You know as well as I do that violet is _not_ a natural hair color. And unless you can tell me for certain that it's dyed…well, I'm guessing you also know that extended exposure to particularly-profound mysteries can affect the physical body in some ways."

"…no…I can't…I asked Shinji about that before…it's natural…but…why? To their own family…how can they be so cruel? So heartless?"

That last question was punctuated by an angry fist slamming down hard on the table, Shirou gritting his teeth as his eyes narrowed and flashed with anger. "Tokiomi Tohsaka was a magus." Ayame answered after a moment. "And for magi, the only thing that really matters is reaching the Root. Nothing is too much for them to sacrifice to do just that, whether it's love, dignity, self-respect, family, even their own souls."

"…I know that…" Shirou said softly before striking the table again. "I know that…but even so…monstrous…"

"It is."

For several long moments, they sat in silence, and then Ayame sighed, and to Shirou's surprise, she bowed low. "Thank you." She said. "Thank you for believing me. It's not like I have much proof after all, beyond what I can say."

"…it's alright. You're welcome." Shirou said with a sigh. "And besides, what do you have to gain by lying to me? Also…you summoned King Arthur. Why would he answer your call, if you were the kind of person to make up such a lie?"

Ayame straightened, and she smiled thankfully at her brother. Shirou smiled back, and then nodding, narrowed his eyes as his expression turned grim. "Now what?" he asked.

"Now, we help Sakura."

"How?"

"I've already asked the fairies for help." Ayame said. "They've agreed, and they're already preparing a room to use to…undo, what the Matou did to her. What can be undone, at least. And if they can't undo it…"

Ayame trailed off, while Shirou looked away. "Then what?" he asked.

"They'll fix it…but scars will remain." Ayame said before lowering her face. "And I'm sure you know your fairy tales."

"Yes, I do." Shirou said. "Deals with fairies…there's always a catch. I'd be angry at you too…but if this is the only way to help Sakura…well, at least fairies _aren't_ evil. Not the way people can be."

"…they didn't tell me the catch." Ayame said after a moment. "Apparently, it's something they and Sakura have to discuss between them. But Shirou…that's why I asked you earlier. How far you were willing to go for her…no matter what bargain is forged between the fey and Sakura, she'll need someone she can count on by her side. Someone who can understand her. And the two of us…"

Ayame trailed off again, and Shirou nodded in understanding. "Yeah," he said with a bitter expression on his face. "The two of us…people like us…survivors of the Great Fire, left with scars by something started by the greed of magi…we can understand her. I can understand her. Alright…"

Shirou trailed off, and sitting back on his hands looked up at the ceiling for a long time. "You know," he began. "I've always wanted to be a Hero of Justice. Someone who helps people…saves people…I just never expected it'd be for someone so close to me. And if not for you…I'd never have noticed…"

Shirou trailed off with a bitter laugh and a sad smile. "What a hero I am…" he whispered. "If I couldn't even notice someone so close to me being in such pain…"

"Shirou…" Ayame said softly, and looking away for a moment sighed. "No…don't blame yourself. Just by being a friend for her…you've done so much to help her."

"Really? What makes you say that?"

Ayame gave a bittersweet smile. "Remember what she said?" she asked. "She enjoys your company. You're a ray of light in her dark and otherwise hopeless life. You might even be the only reason she's still alive right now."

"…what?"

"I never knew her." Ayame said, still with that bittersweet smile. "I only knew about her long after she was buried. She must have died in despair, with nothing to live for, only torture to look forward to day after day, her own sister ignorant of her fate. And even if she'd known…"

"…you don't really think Tohsaka would have done nothing if she'd found out, do you?" Shirou asked, aghast.

"Maybe she would have, or maybe she wouldn't." Ayame said with a shrug. "In my timeline, she went into denial at first when she found out…it looked like she struggled on the inside, her…Humanity, against her magus beliefs and principles. But…that was in a timeline wherein her younger sister had died. She _knew_ loss…it cracked the ice, you could say, that being a magus had frozen her heart and soul in."

Shirou smiled softly. "Poetic…" he murmured, and Ayame shrugged again. "But…in this timeline…where Sakura is alive…then maybe…"

"Yeah," Ayame said darkly. "Tohsaka might not be willing to believe in us. Not without solid proof. She's likely to think we're just trying to throw her off, that we're actually trying to keep Sakura from achieving her potential, taking from her the chance to be a great magus…"

Ayame trailed off, barely resisting the urge to spit.

 _What's so great about being a magus anyway?_

"…when will the room be ready?" Shirou asked after a moment.

"Tomorrow afternoon, exactly twenty-four hours – one planetary cycle – after I summoned the fairies and they began to enchant the room." Ayame said. "Sorry about not asking permission first."

"It's fine." Shirou said with a smile. "You are family, after all. And we're doing this to help someone who wouldn't get help otherwise. What's a bit of liberty compared to that?"

Ayame nodded, and then narrowed her eyes. "Some things need to be done before she can be taken into that room, though." She said. "You could call it priming the system, or something like that."

"Yeah, I understand." Shirou said with a sigh. "What do you need me to do?"

"There's a possibility that Matou's Servant is watching over Sakura." Ayame said. "If so, I need Altria along with Arthur to hold them off, while I get a few fairies inside Sakura to do that. And then I'll need you to help me get her into that room, and to reassure her."

"You can count on me." Shirou said. "And then what?"

"Get her into the room, and then the fairies will do the rest." Ayame said. "Well, not really. Matou will want her back…"

"Over my dead body." Shirou growled.

"Let's not tempt fate…though I agree: we can't let them take her back."

"We've got two Servants." Shirou said. "That should be enough."

"It should be." Ayame said. "I plan to have Arthur blow up their property with Excalibur once we have Sakura safe."

"…what about the damage?"

"Arthur tells me he can control Excalibur's power enough to limit the damage to the Matou property. I'm sure we can trust him."

"…yes…if King Arthur says so, then I'm sure we can believe in him."

Ayame nodded. "We'll have to consider the possibility Matou might ally with Tohsaka in this, to get Sakura back." She said with crossed arms. "If so, it's going to be a pain."

"We'll have to convince Tohsaka of what Matou's done to her sister." Shirou said. "And that he deserves to be put down."

Ayame nodded slowly, and then she took a deep breath. "About that," she began. "There's something you should know."

"What?"

"I…I'm actually…I'm Rin and Sakura's older half-sister."

"…what?"

* * *

Dinner had been rather awkward, as Sakura had arrived even as Ayame had dropped her bombshell. Shirou also had found it difficult to look at Sakura in the face, much less talk to her. Indeed, just seeing her violet hair, and knowing it had been caused by horrific magical experiments…

…it was all he could do not to order Altria then and there, maybe even with command spells, to teach the Matou Clan a lesson in what was right and what was wrong.

But that wouldn't help Sakura. Not really…

It might even put her in danger too, as it was no secret she was a friend of Shirou. If Shirou attacked the Matou, then the Matou might have spells in place to hold Sakura hostage to force him to heel. And if that happened…

And there was Ayame.

She was actually fairly normal, chatting and interacting with Sakura like it was perfectly normal, and there wasn't anything out of the ordinary. It had helped mask Shirou's awkwardness, for which he was thankful, but even so…

 _She's got a good mask._

"Sakura…"

"Yes?"

Shirou paused, standing outside as he showed Sakura and Taiga out. The latter tilted her head in curiosity, and looked back at her two students. "Um…" Shirou began while rubbing his head. "Is…everything alright?"

"Yes." Sakura said, looking confused. "Why do you ask?"

"Well…it's just that…Shinji never showed up at school earlier so…"

"Yes, grandfather is worried about him too." Sakura said, though she looked away while saying that. "I…I'm worried about him too."

Shirou blinked, and fought back the urge to get angry.

 _How can you be worried about him, when he's involved in cutting you up and running all sorts of experiments on you?_

 _Sakura…you…you're too kind…I never thought I'd ever think that but…_

"Alright," Shirou said with a sigh. "He's probably just out with another of his…well, you know. Shinji _is_ Shinji."

Sakura giggled. "Yes, I suppose so." She said. "Well then…goodnight and goodbye."

Shirou nodded, but as Sakura made to leave Shirou raised a hand. "Hey, Sakura?" he began.

"Yes?"

"…just so you know…if you ever need any help with anything…I'm here…"

Sakura blinked in confusion, and then nodded. "Yes…of course, sempai." She said.

Shirou smiled, and smiling back, Sakura nodded before leaving. Shirou watched her and Taiga disappear out of sight, and then sighing closed and locked the property gates. Returning to his house, he made his way to the room where Ayame was boarding in, and found her lying on her futon with her arms folded behind her head.

"Yes?" she asked.

Shirou closed the door and sat down. "Where were we?" he asked, and with a grunt Ayame sat up.

"Yeah…" she began. "As I was saying, I'm Rin and Sakura's older half-sister…"

* * *

A/N

And now Shirou knows. Don't worry Sakura, we'll get those worms out of you soon. And Rin and Zouken had best watch out, as the Once and Future King _and_ the King of Knights will soon be out for their blood.

God help them…well, not really for Zouken.


	7. Part VII

Disclaimer: I do not own the Fate franchise it belongs to Kinoko Nasu and Type-Moon.

Adventures in Canon

Part VII

Ayame left the shower refreshed, wearing fresh clothes and running a comb through her damp hair. "Shirou…!" she called. "I'm done with the shower. It's your turn to bathe…Shirou? Shirou…? Brother…where are you…?"

Grumbling to herself, Ayame wandered around the house, looking for any sign of her brother…

…and with a sigh, wandered out towards the back of the property. " _Well, for all that we're not quite parallel selves, the way Arthur and Altria are,_ " she thought to herself while making for the shed that was likely her brother's workshop (much like it was her own workshop in her home timeline). " _We do still think alike in many ways._ "

Ayame knocked on the door, and again after a few moments and there was no response. "Shirou…?" she called. "Are you there? I'm coming in."

There was still no response, and Ayame carefully eased the door open and peered through. The interior was dark, the lights unlit. But she could see, thanks to a faint glow in the distance, illuminating her brother as he sat on the ground with his back to her. " _Meditation?_ " Ayame thought as she quietly slipped in, just as quietly closing the door behind her. " _Looks like it…_ "

Stepping closer while making sure not to surprise her brother, Ayame carefully looked around, reinforcing her eyes to see better in the dark. The shed was…well, the shed. The structure was pretty much the same as her shed was, but…

…there didn't seem to be as much…material, and other stuff, as she expected. " _Strange…does he keep them somewhere else?_ " Ayame thought. And then blinking, she came to a halt while moving her head back and forth. " _The bounded fields…there's no bounded field here. Just the one around the house, and it's a basic one at that. What the…_ "

Ayame scratched her head in confusion. From the look of things, her brother hadn't taken the trouble to maintain his magical defenses, which didn't make much sense given his apparent work ethic. He wouldn't have deliberately let them just go to seed without doing anything about it.

 _Something's not right here._

Stepping closer to her brother, Ayame carefully peered around her seated brother and regarded what he was doing. The light was coming from a _shinai_ he was holding on his hands, Shirou's eyes closed as he sat in a meditative pose. " _Structural…analysis…?_ " Ayame silently asked. " _Or is it something else? That said…there's something not quite right here._ "

Crossing her arms and tapping her lips for a moment, Ayame then reached out, and after a moment's hesitation placed a hand on Shirou's shoulder. She blinked at the sudden feeling of wrongness, even as Shirou opened his eyes in surprise, and glanced at her.

"Ayame?" he asked, his meditation disturbed. "What are you doing here?"

"Eh…" Ayame fumbled, scratching at her head as Shirou stood up. "I was looking for you to tell you I'm done with the shower, so it's your turn. Anyway…so this shed's your workshop too, huh?"

"Huh…oh yeah. It is…you as well?"

"Yup."

Shirou laughed, though he then looked at Ayame with a slightly reproving expression. "You should have knocked before coming in, though." He pointed out. Ayame just raised an eyebrow.

"I did." She said. "You didn't hear me, though."

Shirou blinked and then laughed. "Fair enough," he admitted. "I got too focused on practice."

"What are you doing anyway?"

"Are you really asking that kind of question to a magus?"

Ayame just crossed her arms and lifted an eyebrow again, and then the siblings shared a laugh. "Practicing," Shirou said, lifting the _shinai_ and making a few chopping motions. "I've got a real talent for understanding what makes things up, and how they fit together."

"Ah…structural analysis then."

"Yeah, I think that's what it's called."

Ayame nodded, and then tilted her head. "Okay," she began. "This may just be…well, the difference in doing things between us, but…it looked or rather felt like…something was wrong, or strange, with you earlier."

Shirou blinked and tilted his head in his turn. "In what way?" he asked.

"I don't know." Ayame admitted. "It could just be me though, but my gut says I should look into it. Do you mind helping me out?"

Shirou regarded Ayame for a few moments, and then smiling, nodded. "Okay." He said. "What do you need me to do?"

Ayame placed a hand on Shirou's chest. "Just…do what it was you were doing earlier." She said.

Shirou nodded, and closing his eyes held up the _shinai_ in one hand. "Trace, on." He said. The _shinai_ began to glow, but before he could really start…

"Stop."

Shirou opened his eyes, and looked at his appalled-looking sister curiously. "Is something wrong?" he asked.

"Oh nothing's wrong." Ayame began with a surprisingly-sweet voice. "Unless you don't see destroying your own nervous system as wrong. Seriously, brother, what was that?"

"Um…that's…how I use magic?" Shirou replied, taken aback. "I mean, that's how I've always done it, and dad never said anything about it."

"…what?"

"What?"

Ayame palmed her face. "Seriously?" she asked. "I mean…what did…why would dad not do anything about that? I mean…how long have you been doing that, to perform magic?"

"Since I started using magic?"

Ayame palmed her face again. "I'm honestly surprised you haven't suffered a stroke or something in that long." She said, looking and sounding aghast.

"Well…how else am I supposed to use magic?" Shirou asked. Ayame crossed her arms and leaned closer, her frown looking disturbingly like something Rin Tohsaka would give.

"Your actual magic circuits?"

"Wait…I'm not doing that already?"

Ayame sighed, and rubbed her temples. "I don't know why dad didn't seem to have taught you how to properly activate your circuits," she began. "But this can't go on. At this rate, you're going to end up killing yourself, sooner or later."

"Uh…I'll take your word for it. So…next question: how do we fix this? I mean, how do I properly open my magic circuits?"

Ayame regarded Shirou for a moment, and then smiling, reached out and took his hands. Shirou blinked at her smile, and a thought came to mind. " _She really is their sister._ " He thought. " _She frowns just like Rin, and her smile is the same as Sakura's._ "

 _According to Kirei Kotomine, I'm the daughter of Tokiomi Tohsaka and his mistress. Yes, you could say I'm a secret love child, especially considering the name he originally gave me. 'Kuchinashi', and what it means in hanakotoba. I'm actually the eldest of his kids, older than Rin by a couple of months._

 _Very dramatic and all…not that I really care. As far as I'm concerned, Kiritsugu Emiya was my dad, and you're my brother._

Shirou smiled as he remembered the next part of the conversation from earlier.

 _"Then why do you care so much for Sakura if your blood relationship doesn't matter?" Shirou asked, not entirely unreasonably._

 _"I care because it's the right thing to do." Ayame answered. "I care not because she's my sister, but because she didn't deserve what happened to her. Not in my timeline, and I'll bet in this timeline too. She didn't ask to be thrown away, she just was. Can you tell me it's wrong not to stand against that?"_

 _"No…I won't and I can't." Shirou said at once, his face grim. "Magi might say it's right and necessary, but it isn't. Not really…they only say it is. It's not right at all."_

 _"Then there you go."_

"…Shirou…Shirou… **Shirou** …!"

Shirou blinked and focused back on Ayame in front of him. The white-haired girl sighed. "Focus, Shirou." She said. "For now at least."

"Yeah," Shirou said with an apologetic nod. "Sorry about that."

Ayame smiled softly. "Focus on me." She said. "Tune out the world, everything around us, close your eyes if you have to, just remember, there is only me, and you, here and now."

Shirou nodded while closing his eyes, focusing only on the warmth of Ayame's hands holding his own, tuning out the sounds and smells of their surroundings, even the workings of his own body. His breathing…his heartbeat…even that itch when you stand still and silent for too long…

…he turned it all out.

There was only him and his sister, here and now.

"Reach out to me, as I reach out to you." Ayame's voice said. "No…do not think. Just do… _feel_. Reach out to me, as I reach out to you, the two of us touching…becoming one…"

Shirou didn't nod or give any sign of hearing or understanding, just…doing, as she asked him to. He felt the warmth of her hands over his, felt it merge with his own warmth, her life and his together in this moment, and felt the potential within him and her at the same time. And then…

"Ignite!"

Instinctively, Shirou saw and felt the hammer fall and strike the firing pin, as well as a door breaking open. And with a gasp, Shirou sprang back, his eyes wide as he felt the familiar yet different burn of magic at work, as though a red-hot rod was being driven into his back, and felt the numbness all around.

"T-this is…" he stammered out, and then swaying, nearly fell as his vision swam. Ayame caught him, and helping him down to sit against a wooden post, sat down beside him.

"Congratulations," she said. "Your magic circuits are now open. You should be able to use magic without maiming yourself…you already know how, don't you?"

"Yeah…you saw it…I think."

"I did." Ayame said with a nod, before glancing at Shirou with a smile. "You saw mine too, didn't you?"

"Sorry."

Ayame laughed. "What for?" she asked. "I saw yours, so we're even."

"I…guess…" Shirou said before sighing and leaning back, just relaxed for several moments. "You know…I really shouldn't be thinking this, but the words of that spell you used…it was really weird."

"Yeah, I know." Ayame agreed. "In hindsight…as a kid, it wasn't that weird. But when you get to our age…"

"Yeah, it could pass for innuendo." Shirou said before shuddering. "And you're my sister."

"Yeah, let's not think too much of it." Ayame agreed. Shirou nodded, and once again, silence fell over them, for several long moments before Ayame spoke up again. "So…while catching your breath…care to tell me what you can do?"

Shirou laughed and nodded. "Well," he said. "I guess it's fair. I do know what you can do, after all."

Ayame smiled and nodded, turning her head to look at her brother, who also looked at her. "Right," he began, and looking away and up. "Anyway, for starters, dad always said…"

* * *

Sunlight shone down from a clear blue sky, lightly-dotted with puffy white clouds. Despite winter having yet to end, the morning was pleasantly cool and relaxing, a taste of what spring would bring.

Ayame hoped it was a good omen for this evening, as she leaned against a wall and listened to her brother preparing for the coming day in his room through the door to her left. A few minutes later and the sounds inside stopped, replaced by footsteps headed for the door. They slid open, Shirou coming out only to be taken aback at finding his sister apparently waiting for him.

"Can I help you?" he asked.

"Today's the day." Ayame replied, and Shirou nodded, his expression determined.

"I know." He said. "And you can count on me to do my part in saving Sakura."

"Good," Ayame said with a sigh. "Just keep in mind…judging by her hair, a _lot_ has been done to that girl. The fairies can undo some but not all, and even what can't be undone can only be…changed, to something that won't be hurtful for Sakura. What will be left…think of them as scars."

"I know." Shirou said with a sigh of his own. "I remember the discussion we had. But…it's not something either of us isn't familiar with, right? More so you than me, though."

Ayame closed her eyes, leaning her head back and thinking back to the Great Fire, at the raging flames and the incredible pain that burned everything away. Who she was…what she had been…everything…

…they all just disappeared, turned into ash by those flames.

And like a phoenix, she'd risen from them a changed person, thanks to her father. The same went for Shirou. And now…

…now they'd do the same as their father did for them, for Sakura.

"…there's no going back once we start." Ayame finally said. "We'll be painting a huge bull's eye on ourselves. Tohsaka and Matou will go against us."

"That's still two on two." Arthur said, appearing out of nowhere next to Ayame. "And between myself and Altria, seems like a fair fight."

"Indeed," Altria said, opening the doors of the room next to Shirou. "Fear not, Shirou, and Ayame. Leave their Servants to us, and focus solely on their Masters. We have the utmost confidence in your ability to overcome them, and emerge victorious over evil."

Ayame and Arthur shared a smile at that, as they'd already defeated the Tohsaka and the Matou before. And if they did it before, they could do it again.

Shirou though, just stared at Altria. Altria stared back, until finally, Shirou pointed at the room she'd come out of. "What were you doing in there?" he asked.

"Unfortunately," Altria began. "I am unable for some inexplicable reason to enter astral form. Therefore, I have taken the liberty of selecting a room to lodge in at night, and to conceal myself from those uninvolved in the war."

"No, that's alright just tell me first…no wait!" Shirou burst out. "Why next to my room?"

Altria tilted her head. "I am your Servant." She said. "It is only meet that I be by your side to ensure your safety. As I was unwilling to infringe upon your privacy by lodging in your room, I chose the one next to it."

"…that…makes sense…but…"

Shirou trailed off with a sigh, and then walked off with pink cheeks. "Did I somehow cause offense?" Altria asked, and Arthur looked at Ayame. Ayame just shrugged, spreading her hands and walking off to follow her brother.

* * *

A/N

More Shirou and Ayame moments, with the latter helping the former open/use his circuits properly.

Mostly filler, to be honest, but you have to bridge the plot properly for it to make sense. Don't worry, we'll get some magus vs magus action eventually…who knows? You just might see Rin get hit in the face with a shovel again.


	8. Part VIII

Disclaimer: I do not own the Fate franchise it belongs to Kinoko Nasu and Type-Moon.

Adventures in Canon

Part VIII

The skies of Fuyuki were already shifting from the red and orange of dusk towards the dark, velvet blue of evening when Shirou and Sakura arrived at the former's home. They'd passed by the supermarket on the way, and both were laden down with groceries. As they passed over the threshold, Shirou glanced curiously as Sakura seemed to momentarily fidget.

"Is something wrong?" he asked.

Sakura shook her head. "No…it's nothing." She said, while also fidgeting slightly once more. "I just…I feel a bit under the weather today, that's all."

"…you shouldn't push yourself, you know?" Shirou said reprovingly. "If you were feeling sick…"

The boy trailed off, unable to bring himself to say that she should stay at home. Indeed, it took a lot of effort for him not to get angry at the thought that Sakura ever could call the Matou mansion home, when it was a place where she'd been seen and treated as nothing more than a lab rat. And just to add insult to injury, she'd had to play the part of a normal girl for appearance's sake.

" _Animals…_ " the thought ghosted through Shirou's head. " _But not for much longer…once Sakura is safe…we can get some measure of justice for her…_ "

Unaware of what was going through Shirou's head, Sakura just shook her own head. "N-no," she said. "It's not that bad. Nothing some…medicine, can't fix…"

Shirou looked curious at that, and more than a little amount of concern, at the hollow and resigned tone that briefly came with the word 'medicine'. "…alright then." He finally said. "Anyway, shall we get inside? It's already late, so we shouldn't stay out for too long."

"Yes, sempai."

Leading the way into his house, Shirou gave a call as he stepped into the foyer. "We're home." He said loudly. "Ayame, are you there?"

"Shirou…?" Ayame's reply came, apparently from the living room. "Is that you?"

"Yeah, it's me." Shirou said. "Sakura's with me."

"Okay then."

Shirou and Sakura stayed silent as they replaced their outdoor shoes with slippers, and then stepped further inside. "Hey, Sakura." Shirou said, causing the girl to pause.

"Yes, sempai?"

For a moment, Shirou was silent, and then making sure his eyes met hers, gave a small smile. "No matter what happens," he said. "I care for you, alright? I'm here for you, and if you ever need help, I'll give it to you. You don't even have to ask."

"Sempai…what…?"

"It's just something I needed to say."

Sakura was silent for several moments, and then she lowered her head. Staying silent for a few moments, when she spoke up, it was in a whisper. "Yes, I know." She said. "And thank you, sempai. For everything."

Shirou placed a hand on Sakura's shoulder and squeezed. "Alright, let's go." He said, leading the way in.

Sakura raised her head and nodded, following Shirou with a small smile. Making their way through the house, they turned a corner and passed through open, sliding doors into the living room. Ayame was there, sitting silent and surprisingly grim-looking at the table.

"Ayame-san?" Sakura began. "Is something…?"

"Glitter," Ayame said, looking at Sakura with a determined, and apologetic expression. "Fairy Lights."

* * *

As fairies appeared around and entered into orbit around Ayame, three other fairies which had been summoned earlier flashed forward from the corners of the living room where they'd been hiding their presence. They streaked towards a shocked and betrayed-looking Sakura, moving at the speed of thought, even as a scantily-clad, long and purple-haired woman with a blindfold shimmered into existence.

An instant later, and the latter was being tackled by an armored blonde who had also shimmered into existence seemingly out of nowhere. He slammed her into the ground, struggling to pin her arms – holding long and sharp stakes which could punch through his armor and deep into his body – and body as a whole to the ground. Moments later, and Altria arrived with the sound of heavy footsteps, and at a whispered suggestion from the fairies present, moved to assist Arthur in physically restraining the Matou Servant instead of finishing them off as originally planned.

Shirou, Ayame, and Sakura ignored the Servants wrestling in the background. All three of them had their own roles in the plan to play.

The moment the fairies struck – entered – her, Sakura screamed as burning pain seared through her body. She was used to pain. It had been a constant companion to her since she had been a child, when she'd been sold like a piece of meat and then thrown into a pit in the dark and fed to things that either chewed their way into her body, or passed through places that a little girl should not know about.

Whether it was the pain of the Matou worms forcing their way into her…nesting inside her…night after night…the pain of knowing her own family had consigned her to such a fate…the pain of knowing that the only person who'd cared had died – alone, helpless, _insane_ – in the dark…of having the promise of salvation taken away…

…of her sister treating her like a stranger…

…of her brother seeing her as nothing more than something to vent his frustrations on…

…of how his death would have forced her to sell her body to answer her urges…

…it was all nothing. Nothing she wasn't used to. The world had hated her for so long…always finding some new way to hurt her on every level, be it physical, spiritual, or mental, that she'd grown used – numb – to it all. It had been a long time since anything had been enough to make her scream, much less cry.

But…

…this pain…

…it was nothing like she'd ever felt before. It was…she couldn't describe it…not really…and there were Shirou and Ayame…

 _How could you…sempai…_

Sakura's stomach twisted, and her muscles failed her, forcing her to her knees. Liquid and…something, else forced their way up, and Sakura gagged and then crumpling forward, arms clutching her torso, vomited out the contents of her stomach. Unseen to her, across her body magic circuits were glowing angrily, and every so often golden sparks arced out, at times alone, and at other times tangling furiously with dark tendrils of shadow.

Sakura gagged again, feeling something weigh heavy in her stomach, and be forced up and out. She crumpled forward, and felt the familiar forms of the Crest Worms in her mouth. Only this time they weren't squirming in, they felt…heavy…

…dead…unresponsive…

Dead worms splattered out onto the floor, again and again, even as Ayame finally rushed to Sakura's side. "Gods damn it," She spat. "I thought…I thought I'd seen the worst of it back then…but this…! This is worse! Damn that son of a bitch! Damn him and everyone who ever helped him!"

"W-why?" Sakura gurgled before vomiting out even more of the dead worms which had once made her body their nest.

"Your sister might not care," Ayame sneered. "But your _half-sister_ does. She's a better person than either _her_ or our _father_."

Sakura's eyes went wide, but she couldn't say anything as she vomited out more worms. She didn't know how long she kept on vomiting, but it finally abated, along with the worst of the pain. It was still there, a rhythm of fire and ice that constantly rippled and periodically spiked through her body, but it wasn't as bad as before.

Through the haze of pain, shock, and confusion, Sakura felt herself helped to her feet, and taken away from the living room. Dimly, she registered being taken through the corridors of the Emiya mansion, her body shaking fitfully all the way. As the moments ticked by, the spasms and fits grew increasingly common, until finally, the pain spiked, and Sakura screamed.

It felt as though her innards…her chest…it was being torn apart. It shouldn't have been new…

… _they_ had been tearing her innards apart since she was a child…

…but this…she couldn't…it was too much…

* * *

"What the…!" Ayame barely had time to shout as Sakura went into convulsion, and Ayame's eyes widened as Sakura's chest _bulged out_ , like something out of the _Alien_ franchise…

….and then she was recoiling in surprise and disgust, as several things happened at once.

The first was warm, wet blood exploding outwards from Sakura's chest, and splattering all over Ayame's face, chest, and torso. The second thing was the feeling of something heavy, _alive_ , and utterly _malevolent_ slamming into her chest.

The third thing was the inaudible yet utterly-tangible snarl of _inhuman_ rage that shimmered through the air, and which completely drowned out the malevolence of…whatever, it was that struck her chest. In the next moment, fire rippled through her body, and the air stank as blood boiled away.

Fighting back the urge to hurl, Ayame barely noticed something that looked like a black…amoeba, or something like it, squirming away across the yard and over the wall. "AYAME!" Shirou shouted, and jolting Ayame back into reality. "SAKURA…SHE'S…!"

"Get her inside!" Ayame yelled, and helped Shirou pull a catatonic and limp Sakura into the room the fairies had prepared. Faintly glittering circles, glyphs, and sigils had been drawn with supernatural precision and delicacy on the paper walls and the wooden floor and ceiling, with Sakura being placed in the middle of the floor. "Glitter, Fairy Lights!"

More fairies appeared, and hovering in the middle of the room as one they began to spin. Faster and faster, until incandescent, they flew down, and into the gaping and bloody hole in Sakura's chest. Sakura's eyes shot open, and she gasped, forcing air into her lungs under her own power, as magic circuits glowed across her entire body.

After a few moments, they flashed…and as they dimmed, a golden glow encased Sakura's body. Her face slackened, relaxing as her eyelids wearily closed, only the gently movement of her chest showing she was breathing. As Ayame and Shirou watched, she gently rose into the air, and hovered there. Every so often, golden sparks would arc around her, and at times, furiously clash with tendrils of shadow.

"What…is this?" Shirou whispered.

Ayame collapsed against a wall, dabbing at the blood – Sakura's blood – caked over her. "The fairies…" she said. "They're…fixing her."

"I…I see." Shirou said, before looking at Ayame. "What…what was that thing? That…that thing that came out of her chest! And those worms she vomited! What were those?"

"Matou Crest Worms."

Shirou looked horrified and disgusted, and then both gave way to rage. "They…they experimented on her…" he snarled. "And…or by putting those… _things_ , in her?"

"Of course they did." Ayame said, her face and voice matching Shirou's own. "That's how the Matou magecraft works…abominations. That family should have been wiped from the face of the Earth a long time ago. Their founder should never have been allowed to be born, just miscarried or aborted while he was still in his mother's womb."

"What…what do you mean that's how the Matou magecraft works?" Shirou asked. "That's…that's not…that wasn't…how could something like that be called magic?"

"I have no idea." Ayame said, forcing herself to get up. "Only that magi find it acceptable enough. Fuck them."

Normally such generalization would not have sat well with Shirou…but now? After seeing just _what_ had been put into Sakura's body…and ever since she was a child it seemed…

…fuck magi, indeed.

"…dad never told you about them?" Ayame asked after a moment.

"No…he didn't." Shirou admitted. "But he told you?"

"He did." Ayame said. "I wonder why he never did for you."

"…I wonder why too."

"I'll tell you all he told me, then." Ayame said. "But first…we need to clean up. The dead worms…the blood…myself…and Fuji-nee might be on the way too…"

"…damn it…" Shirou growled. "And after that, what's next?"

Ayame didn't answer at once, instead glancing at the surprisingly-docile Rider flanked by Arthur and Altria, the three of them looking at Sakura. Ayame raised an eyebrow as she saw a brief flicker of genuine concern on Rider's face.

"There's Matou's Servant to deal with…" she cautiously began.

"Wrong," Rider interrupted, her voice surprisingly deep but feminine all at the same time. "I am not _Matou's Servant_. I am _Sakura's Servant_. I answered _her_ call, not theirs. As it seems you truly wish to help her, then it seems we have a common goal. Enough for me to begin to trust you."

Shirou and Ayame were silent for a long moment, and then the former glanced at the latter. "And then what?" he asked.

"Matou and Tohsaka have a lot to answer for." Ayame said, and Shirou clenched his fists. He stared at Sakura for a long time, and then glanced at the blood on the floor. He remembered the sound of Sakura's screams, and the sight of the dead worms being vomited out of her mouth and onto the floor. All the while, his face and eyes grew ever colder and harder.

"Yeah," he said, his voice near-unrecognizable to his ears. "They do."

Ayame nodded, followed by Arthur and Altria. Rider slightly lowered her head, and then spoke three words.

"I completely agree."

* * *

A/N

Sakura gets purged of the worms, though she's left critically-injured and comatose as a result. Zouken is forced to abandon his host, and even tries to take over Ayame's body…and nearly gets fried as the fairies get territorial. Sadly, he manages to escape…

…except that he – and potentially Rin – are in very deep shit. They've got the Emiya siblings, the Once and Future King, the King of Knights, and the Gorgon Medusa out for their blood.

Did I miss anything?


	9. Part IX

Disclaimer: I do not own the Fate franchise it belongs to Kinoko Nasu and Type-Moon.

Adventures in Canon

Part IX

Azure sparks flickered and arced as Ayame used alteration to break down the blood splattered all over her, followed by those on the floor and walls. Sakura's vomit in the living room was next…and the crest worms should have followed. Only, they proved surprisingly resilient against such a method of destruction.

"Even in death they're a royal pain in the neck." Ayame spat as she swept them into a dustpan and then threw them out onto the yard. And then holding out a hand, she ignited flames in her palm, and with narrowed eyes unleashed a jet of red and orange at the dead worms. This time, whatever resilience they had against alteration was no protection against fire elemental magecraft.

"Thorough," Shirou observed, Ayame not letting up with her flames until the worms were ash.

"Against vampires, you have to be."

"Wait, what?"

Ayame glanced at Shirou, and then taking a deep breath walked over to the table and sat down. "I did say I'd tell you everything dad told me about the Matou." She said. "Where should we begin?"

"Vampire...you mentioned, well, _implied_ that they're…vampires, or something." Shirou said, also sitting down opposite Ayame. "Start there."

"Easy enough to do." Ayame said.

And that's where Ayame started. It wasn't technically something their father had told her, of Zouken Matou being _the_ Zouken Matou – or as he was known at the time, Makiri Zolgen – who had founded the clan centuries ago, and had been something their sister Illya had told her. Still, if Shirou wanted to know, she would tell him. And tell him she did.

Ayame told him of how he had kept himself alive by somehow…merging, himself with the worms he used as his familiars. Those same worms made up his body, and by periodically and _literally_ eating people, was able to attain a form of immortality. Flawed, compared to other vampires, and different enough that the powers-that-be of the moonlit world didn't actually consider him a true vampire – for all that he was technically one as he literally devoured people to keep himself alive – and thus made no effort to put him down.

Furthermore, the same worms that kept him alive, and which he actually was, could be used to infest people. And in so doing, turned them into his puppets.

"I don't know the details of how he does it." Ayame said. "And I don't want to know. I only need to know that those worms being the core of Matou magecraft, meant that his family essentially had to enslave themselves to him to perform magecraft at all."

"…they use those worms, as well?" Shirou asked, his face a mask of mixed rage and disgust.

"Oh yes." Ayame said with a nod. "They are still familiars, after all. In addition to what I've already told you Zouken uses them for, they can do anything any other familiar could. Spy on people and places…remotely cast magecraft…things like that. Dad also said that the Matou Master he fought during the last war had a spell that allowed him to mutate the worms into poisonous, vicious flying insects that could swarm enemies. Not too effective against elemental magecraft…or area-of-effect spells, I imagine though."

"And the other magi think that's alright?" Shirou asked, revolted. "It's disgusting! It's…I don't think there's any word that can really describe it."

Ayame leaned closer to Shirou. "Brother," she said. "You know that magi are prepared to commit mass murder or even Human experimentation to advance their goals, right? I mean…even without the worms, even assuming things had worked out alright, Sakura was still _sold_ like a piece of meat. Don't tell me that's right."

"Of course it isn't!"

"Then there's your answer." Ayame said with a nod. "Magi see morality, ethics, or just plain right and wrong as something inconvenient. If it works for them, then okay. But if not…who cares? What does it matter so long as they make their magic stronger? What does it matter so long as their family can boast some more? And more to the point…so long as the Matou keep those two rules, that magic and the supernatural cannot be publicly known, and that one cannot become an actual Dead Apostle, magi would simply not care how their magic works, and what they do with it."

"That's…that's just…" Shirou whispered, and then looking away, made a sound of disgust. "I…I knew magi were ruthless and amoral…dad told me that much as well…but this…!"

He took a deep breath, and shaking his head, glanced at Ayame, nodded once. "I think I understand," He said. "Why dad was so opposed to me becoming a magus."

 _That_ had Ayame's eyebrows rising. "Oh?" she asked, and Shirou nodded.

"He said he wouldn't stop me from trying," he answered. "And if I was really serious I should practice whenever I wanted to…but even so…he…"

Shirou closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. "I understand." He repeated. "He didn't want me to lose who I was. And considering what dad went through during the war…I think he realized that no matter what pretty words they used, the price magi have to pay to achieve their goals just isn't worth it at all."

"If you ask them it is." Ayame said, and Shirou snorted.

"From their point of view, maybe." He conceded. "They certainly have the facts to say they're…correct. But just because they're correct, it doesn't mean they're right!"

Ayame chuckled. "What a lovely paradox," she said. "I completely agree, of course."

"…I wonder why he wasn't the same with you, though."

"Well," Ayame said, scratching at her head as she did so. "From what you've told me last night…your magical potential is towards the low end of average…no offense."

"None taken." Shirou reassured her with a smile. "But…?"

"Mine is the opposite." Ayame said. "I tend towards the high end of average. Based on that, dad probably thought you could blend well enough with ordinary people…I couldn't. Like attracts like, after all. The more attuned you are, even passively, to the supernatural…"

"The more likely you'll get drawn into it, whether you like it or not." Shirou finished with a nod. "Yeah, I see where you're going."

Ayame nodded glumly as well. "I needed to be able to keep myself safe." She said. "Though, that's also probably why dad made sure I knew just what sort of shit magi tend to do and get into, and I knew what right and wrong were. To make sure I wouldn't forget the kind of person I was."

Shirou nodded in agreement, and Ayame looked at him seriously. "That said," she began. "You should know that now that we've begun this plan, you can't just fade into the background anymore. Not really."

"Yeah, I know." Shirou said. "I'll need to be there for Sakura. And while I know I'm not really that good in magic, I'll do everything I can."

Ayame raised an eyebrow, and then smirking, tilted her head. "Everything you can, huh?" she asked.

"Is there a problem?" Shirou asked, similarly raising an eyebrow of his own, and causing Ayame to laugh.

"Not really," she said. "Though from the sound of things, and the look of your workshop, you've got a long way to go before you can _really_ give everything you have."

"Oh I know." Shirou said. "Even more reason to start soon. Baby steps, or something like that, right?"

"Oh, I wouldn't call them baby steps." Ayame said with a laugh. "For all that you were using your magic circuits wrong, if you were even using them at all…you've got a good grasp of your basics. Enough to build on at least. I'm not sure if I can teach you everything I know, but I'm pretty sure I can help you out a good deal."

Shirou smiled cheerfully. "Then I'll leave it to you, _sensei_." He said, and the siblings shared a laugh.

"First lesson then," Ayame said as she got up. "Magecraft is a tool. No matter what magi might say, no matter how much they sneer at you, mock you, and insult you for thinking in such a way, that's the truth. Magecraft is a means to an end, nothing more and nothing less. But it is a terrible tool, and one that the world might be better off had it not existed. Its very existence breeds jealousy, resentment, hatred, greed, and ambition. But you have to have it, know how to use it, and keep it as sharp as you can, to keep yourself and the people you care for safe. But always remember that magecraft is just a tool. Remember that, and keep your magecraft as harmless as you can, Shirou."

Shirou stared at Ayame with a sad smile, and after a few moments, sighed. "Did dad tell you that?" he asked.

"He did."

Shirou closed his eyes and nodded. "Then I'll take it to heart." He said softly. "Thanks dad, for everything."

Ayame didn't say anything, also just looking away with the same distant expression on her brother's face. "I wonder what he'd say," she finally said, after several long moments. "If he could see us right now."

"He'd say he's very proud of us," Shirou said. "And to keep up the good work."

"Only after scolding us for picking a fight with other magi though." Ayame said with a short laugh.

Shirou laughed again. "And then he'd tell us to just relax," he said. "Stay here where it's safe, keep an eye on Sakura, and leave everything to him."

Ayame nodded. "I miss him." She said, wrapping her arms around herself.

"I miss him too." Shirou said. "And since he isn't here, we have to finish this ourselves. And if I remember right, the next step of the plan is to keep the pressure on the Matou up, isn't it?"

"Yes," Ayame agreed. "Remember what I told you about the rules of fighting magi?"

"I do."

Rule One: never fight fair. Magi _never_ fight fair, so if you do, you'll just guarantee your defeat.

Rule Two: never fight in their workshop. Magi are at their strongest in there.

Rule Three: destroy their workshop as quickly as possible. Preferably from a safe distance, and with the magi inside.

Rule Four: don't let up. The greatest weapon of the magi are their minds, and if they can use them clearly, then you're just setting yourself up for failure. Keep hitting them as quickly and as hard as you can, and don't give them a chance to think of a way to counter you.

Rule Five: don't hesitate. Magi won't hesitate to kill you. It's kill or be killed, when fighting magi.

Rule Six: no such thing as overkill. You can never have too much firepower or its equivalent when fighting magi.

Rule Seven: make sure you've already won before the battle begins. That's the whole point behind strategy or planning. Use it properly. And chances are, magi are too far up their own asses to use proper strategy, so don't discard the potential advantage.

"…um…" Shirou mused. "Rule number three, right? Take out the workshop, from a safe distance, and hopefully with the magi inside?"

"Yup," Ayame said. "Unfortunately, given…our limitations, we can only take out one of two workshops right now, between the Tohsaka and the Matou. Since the Matou are the older of the two families, and are led by an actual fucking vampire, they'd be the obvious pick, wouldn't they?"

"Agreed," Shirou said. "And also, there's still a chance we can get Tohsaka to see reason."

"…I suppose there is." Ayame said with a nod. "And it's only fair to give her a chance. Though if she doesn't…"

"Then we'll just have to _make her_ see reason."

Ayame raised her eyebrows at that. "That was…surprising." She said, and Shirou snorted.

"From what you've told me about the Rin of your world," he said. "She's a good person, deep down. The Rin of my world, without Sakura's death to…soften her up, probably has her goodness even deeper down. If so, then we'll just have to drag it out."

"Hopefully without having to chop an arm off." Ayame said while scratching her cheek, before grinning. "Though in hindsight, smashing her in the face and on the head with a shovel was surprisingly fun. I'm actually hoping to do so again."

"Wait, what?"

Ayame stuck out her tongue before walking towards the veranda. "I'll tell you later, Shirou." She said with a wink. "For now, rule number one. And then there's rules eight, nine, and ten."

"And those are?" Shirou asked.

"Anything can be a weapon." Ayame said. "Keep it simple, and basics kill. Surprising the enemy is worth a bomb, less chance of things getting messed up, and basics are the most reliable of them all, respectively."

"Got it," Shirou said with a sigh and a smile. "Good luck."

"Thanks." Ayame said with a nod, and placing an arm around her waist, Arthur jumped off the ground, Master and Servant heading off to sortie and keep the pressure on the Matou on. "Watch my little sister while I'm gone!"

"Just leave it to me."

* * *

A/N

Admittedly filler, to bridge the gap between the past development and what's coming next. And as hoped, Ayame begins to help Shirou shape up his game. Starting with a completely heretical but much more practical lesson on what magecraft is, followed by a series of simple rules on how to fight magi.

Admittedly, I made them up, but I think they're something Kiritsugu would adhere to. Especially rule number six: no kill like overkill. Sounds a lot like Kiritsugu 'I've gotten soft since I let them evacuate the hotel instead of just bombing it out of the blue' Emiya, no?


	10. Part X

Disclaimer: I do not own the Fate franchise it belongs to Kinoko Nasu and Type-Moon.

Adventures in Canon

Part X

Rin was enjoying the peace and quiet at her house, a brief moment of respite before she headed out for the night to fend off Caster's prana-gathering activities. Activities which tended to involve gassing entire apartments, and then leaching the life force from the people inside. And while Rin was well aware that being a magus required a certain degree of ruthlessness and even amorality, Caster was simply going too far.

For one thing, it was against the rules of the contest. Second, she was involving ordinary people, which risked the exposure of the supernatural to the world at large, the one rule which could not be broken, no matter what.

A cup of tea simmered on the table in front of Rin as she read up on her notes from school earlier during the day, while a sandwich of bread, ham, cheese, tomatoes, and lettuce sat next to it. Archer leaned against a nearby wall, also nursing a cup of tea of his own. Rin turned a page…

…and then bright, golden light flooded through the windows, causing Master and Servant alike to start. "What the hell?" Rin shouted, getting to her feet…

…and was promptly thrown to the ground as the earth shook, followed by the thunderous roar of displaced air that shattered the windows, dust and fine debris flowing in. Cursing angrily at the hot tea spilling onto and soaking into her mini-skirt, Rin hastily got to her feet and rushed outside, Archer already there before her.

"What was that?" she demanded, as they stared at thin columns of smoke rising not far away.

Archer's face was grim. "Someone fired off a Noble Phantasm nearby." He said. "A really powerful one, to shake the ground and put out so much light like that, and very close too. Those shockwaves and all that dust it put into the air pretty much removes all doubt."

"Who did it?" Rin snapped. "And what was the target?"

"Why don't we go and find out?" Archer offered, and Rin didn't even need to answer, Master and Servant rushing out of the former's property to investigate. They didn't have to go far, as after a few minutes' run, they found the Matou property a smoking crater, water and sewage gusting out into the bottom from ruptured pipes, and sparks flying every so often from broken cables.

"I guess that answers what the target was." Archer dryly remarked. "Pretty thorough too…I'm actually impressed. We'll have to watch our backs."

"No shit!" Rin snarled, and walking off a short distance angrily kicked away a rock before running a hand down her face.

 _It's pretty obvious why Matou would be targeted, since they're also a founding family. But to go this far?_

 _This…this is…this is insane! And more than that…_

 _…Sakura…was she inside? If she was, then…_

Rin knew she shouldn't be bothering worrying about the younger girl. To be sure, the Matou were an old ally of her family, but among magi allies could quickly turn into rivals or even enemies overnight. While Rin was fairly certain that Sakura was not actually a magus, having sensed no prana from her at all, the removal of a potential rival was still something to be valued. Not just as magi, but also in the contest.

Like the Tohsaka and Einzbern, the Matou were a founding family too. They were guaranteed a position as a Master in the contest. If the Master was inside, then…that was one enemy down…

Rin would still have to go after the one who took them out, but she should be grateful. Shouldn't she? Was there any reason not to be?

Rin clenched her fists, and was inwardly grateful to be distracted from the turmoil of her thoughts as Archer spoke up. "Judging from the angle of the crater," he said. "I'd say whoever fired the Noble Phantasm was probably…over there. That tall hill…straight line of sight. If I had been in their place, that's where I'd shoot off an anti-army round."

Rin didn't hesitate. "Let's go, Archer!" she said, also moving expectantly away. "We might still be able to catch them!"

And like his Master, Archer didn't hesitate either. Instead, he smiled and nodded. "Let's move." He said, following in her wake.

* * *

Ayame and Arthur were retreating, leaping from roof to roof across the suburbs as they made their way on a circuitous route around the suburbs to the other side of the city, where Shirou's house was. So far so good…

…until someone started shooting…arrows (?) at them.

"Archer, no doubt." Arthur remarked with audible annoyance, as they dodged another salvo.

"Which means Tohsaka is somewhere nearby." Ayame said with a sigh. "Great, just fucking great…and things were going so well too."

"What do you want to do?"

"It can't be helped." Ayame said with another sigh. "I'll deal with Tohsaka. You deal with Archer."

"Leave it to me."

Dropping Ayame off at a street corner, Arthur leapt back up into the skies at once, and resumed dodging arrows. Eyes the color of grass on a sunny spring day narrowed as they focused on the source, and Arthur frowned in annoyance. " _He changes position with every shot._ " He observed to himself. " _And is retreating…no, he's keeping the distance between us. Smart move…let's see how long he can keep it up. Release the Wind King!_ "

Invoking Invisible Air, Arthur wrapped his Noble Phantasm's tame hurricane around his legs and feet, and blasting off with literal shockwaves in his wake, halved the distance between himself and Archer in a single jump. In the next, he was swinging down, a frustrated Archer raising black and white scimitars to block.

Shards of broken metal went flying, and Archer was retreating, face twisted in frustration. For his part, Arthur just smiled, even as he moved to pursue.

" _Things going well?_ " Ayame asked over their link, no doubt feeling Arthur's emotions over it as well beforehand.

" _So far, yes._ " Arthur confirmed. " _How are things going on your end?_ "

" _Going well…so far._ "

" _I see…good luck then._ "

" _Likewise._ "

* * *

For her part, Ayame was bunkered down in a trench she'd altered into the road, repeatedly ducking and getting back up to exchange fire with Rin. As for Rin, she was using a corner down the road as cover, and like Ayame repeatedly moved in and out of cover to exchange fire.

Laser beams and Finn rounds crisscrossed the space in-between, but Ayame had a slight advantage in firepower. While Finn rounds did have force behind them – compared to Gandr rounds just having a debilitation curse and nothing more – a single round at best would only cause a bruise. Lethal with multiple hits to be true…

…but Ayame's lasers didn't need multiple hits to be lethal. In fact, Rin's cover was all but literally turned into Swiss Cheese by Ayame. "Why don't you just turn around, Tohsaka?" Ayame taunted.

Rin's response was very unladylike, followed by the magus jumping onto a wall and running along the upper edge while firing Finn rounds off machine gun-like from both index fingers. With Rin having the high ground, Ayame was forced to abandon her trench and retreat, zigzagging across the street with Rin in hot pursuit.

"Here's a better idea!" Rin taunted in her turn. "Why don't you stand down, and hand over your command spells? I'll even let you live if you do."

Ayame's response was just as unladylike…

…and then running a hand on the wall, turned it into a slope that caused a surprised Rin to lose her footing and tumble down to the ground. Before she could recover, Ayame slammed her hands onto the ground, altering the road and sending stone limbs ending in clenched fists slamming into Rin.

The magus was sent flying with a shout of pain, only kept from serious injury thanks to reinforcement. Ayame yelled and pumped a fist in triumph…

…and then her face fell as an enraged Rin crushed a gem against the road, and spat out a spell in German. Ayame sensed the magic affect the ground, and knew she couldn't alter it anymore. "Oh that's not good."

Another spell later and Ayame shouted in surprise, as she found herself sinking into the ground up to her neck. In the next moment, Rin was there, a finger pointed at Ayame's forehead. "It's over, Emiya!" she spat. "Hand over your command spells, now!"

"Fuck you and the horse you rode in on."

"I'm not joking around, Emiya. Last chance: hand over your command spells, or die."

Ayame's response was to simply explode the surrounding section of street, both girls sent flying singed and with clothes blown off or hanging in tatters off their bodies. "…that…was a thing…" Ayame muttered, as she staggered to her feet, and shaking her head to clear the ringing, ran off down the street.

She's barely taken a few steps before a bounded field cut her off, and turning she saw an angry and near-naked (to be fair Ayame wasn't looking much better herself) Rin staggering towards her. And then forcing herself upright, Rin threw a gem, flashing like a strobe.

Ayame bit back a curse and narrowly dodged, throwing herself aside. The gem struck the field and exploded, shorting it out and tearing up their surroundings some more. And then Rin was on Ayame, pummeling the other girl with one hand and holding her down with the other gripped around the neck.

Blood and spittle flew as Rin rained down blow after blow, straddling Ayame and refusing to let up, and easily fending off Ayame's clumsy and amateurish attempts to fight her. "…right…right…alright!" Ayame gurgled out. "I give up!"

Rin stopped, holding her fist threateningly. "Say it." She murderously. "Surrender your command spells."

Ayame spat fire into Rin's face, the Tohsaka magus recoiling in surprise and rolling away as flames burned on her face and in her hair. Ayame didn't bother to speak, just rolling to her feet and clambering over the ruins, up onto undamaged pavement, and away.

Rin recovered quickly, and was in hot pursuit. Ayame sensed that much, and was buffeted from explosions as the utterly-enraged Tohsaka magus threw gems all over the place.

 _Shit…she's going all out. I have to get out of here…or end this fight…one way or the other…or she's really going to kill me!_

Ayame turned a corner, and nearly ran into a metal lamppost. At the same time, a memory came to mind, and Ayame quickly connected it to Rin's currently infuriated and unthinking status.

 _That'll work._

With Rin closing in, Ayame worked fast. She ignored the burning protests of her muscles, the way she nearly collapsed as her injured body was pushed to the very limit by the activation of her magic circuits, grabbing the lamppost and then altering it into a weapon. With no time to reinforce it, Ayame pressed herself against the wall and into the shadows, and muttered a quick prayer to any gods that might be listening.

Rin turned the corner, Ayame swung…

...and with Rin's body reinforced, the blow simply shattered the shovel into chunks of wood and metal against her head, instead of staggering and knocking her mind into a loop as expected. Rin glared at Ayame with a mixed expression of incredulity and cold fury on her face, and when Ayame tried to strike with her fist, Rin blocked with an arm before lashing out with a foot and kicking Ayame away with a cry of pain. And then before she could recover, Rin was there, and delivering a savage series of blows with her fists, had Ayame coughing up blood before a kick to the chin sent Ayame flying down the street, and striking a fire hydrant with enough force to dent the thick and heavy metal.

Ayame groaned and coughed up more blood as Rin implacably marched closer. Looming over Ayame, Rin raised her hand, prana gathering at her fingertip. "Any last words?" she snarled.

"Fuck you." Ayame spat with a mix of blood and spittle.

Rin didn't so much as twitch as she fired a Finn shot that should have cracked Ayame's skull and knocked her unconscious. At the last instant though, Ayame rolled to the side, and firing blindly with her heat laser, succeeded with luck and gut feeling. Most of her shots went wild...

...except for one which shot through Rin's abdomen. And unlike on television, where the effects of a laser striking flesh are shown to be neat and cleanly-cauterized wounds, in reality, a laser would simply vaporized all the liquid in its path and immediate surroundings, producing a superheated and quickly expanding cloud of gas. And the cells which make up every part of the Human body are ninety per cent made of water.

Rin's eyes went wide with pain as her guts were simultaneously perforated and burned, along with other nearby organs. The force of the laser sent her staggering a few steps back, and vomiting out blood and bile, nearly collapsed. It was enough to give Ayame time to reinforce herself and then jump up, and rushing in with her fist cocked back, delivered a solid haymaker that had Rin spinning away and to the ground. Snarling, Ayame stepped closer with a leg drawn back to kick, only for Rin to lash our with a wordless roar, a wave of wind blasting Ayame back down the street.

"N-not...good enough...Emiya..." Rin gurgled out, struggling to stand with a hand pressed to the hole in her abdomen.

Groaning, Ayame rolled off her back and onto her torso, and then her eyes fell on the damaged fire hydrant from earlier. She stared blankly for a moment, stunned even by the audacity of the idea, and then growling at the pained protests of her body, pushed herself up to her feet. Up the street, Rin reached into her crest, and used a spell to overcome the debilitation caused by the horrific wound straight through her abdomen, and then similarly pushed herself up to her feet.

Air cracked as it was displaced, and then water was hissing in pressurized jets as the fire hydrant was blown apart. Water pooled and rained down over the whole street, and Rin glared at Ayame with an air of confusion. "...what was that?" she asked incredulously.

Ayame quickly fell to the ground, hands pressed against the wet road. A wave of blue shimmered outwards, and vanishing all the water on the ground. "What...?" Rin asked, and then looked up as Ayame jumped up and away, an urgent expression on her face. Rin's eyes widened as she saw flames erupt at Ayame's fingertips, and her mind realized what happened to the water on the ground.

 _NO!_

The hydrogen and oxygen produced by Ayame using alteration to break down the molecular bonds of the water on the ground had saturated the air, essentially priming it the way a fuel-air bomb would just before the time-delayed detonation. The resulting explosion shattered windows and tore branches off trees for several meters around, and reduced concrete walls, posts, and the road in the immediate area of effect to rubble.

Even Ayame did not escape completely, thrown and buffeted by the shockwaves into a dumpster. The force of impact collapsed the plastic containers, and had the reeling and injured spell-caster pushing bulging and stinking bags of refuse off of her despite the ringing in her ears. " _...Saber?_ " she ventured.

" _Ayame...that explosion just now...was that you?_ " Saber worriedly asked.

" _Yeah...that was me...ugh..._ "

" _Ayame...?_ "

" _...I'm not doing so good...we need to retreat..._ "

" _Understood...I'll be there soon...and get some distance between you and Tohsaka...Archer broke off at the explosion, and is rushing there too. I'm on my way, but still..._ "

" _...got it..._ "

Groaning at the pained protests of her body, Ayame struggled to her feet, and limped away into the night, away from the smoking crater where her battle with Rin had been fought and concluded in.

* * *

A/N

After months of consideration, I rewrote the chapter to make Rin less of a chump - ha! - and make the fight more believable.


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I do not own the Fate franchise it belongs to Kinoko Nasu and Type-Moon.

Adventures in Canon

Part XI

Shirou rushed out onto the veranda as Arthur and Ayame returned, and winced at the sight of his sister. Most of her clothes had been blown off, leaving only ragged and singed tatters behind, and while her underwear was largely intact, it too had not been undamaged.

It wasn't just Ayame's clothes, though. They were already healing, but she had plenty of minor burns and scrapes all over body, along with blooming bruises on her face. Dried blood was streaked on her chin and judging by the way she moved, she might have cracked a few bones and even sprained at least one joint.

"Ayame…" Shirou said, rushing to join Arthur in helping Ayame into the house, Arthur sharing a nod with Altria as the other blonde stepped out to watch their backs. "What the hell happened?"

"Rin Tohsaka is one nasty bitch." Ayame immediately answered, and sighed with relief as she settled down on a cushion at the table. "Never try to fight her up close: she pummeled me good with her fists, and she's got one nasty kick. Seriously: she kicked me hard enough not just to send me flying several feet, but enough to dent a fire hydrant when I hit it with my back."

"Your back?" Shirou echoed incredulously. "Ayame, that's…!"

"Relax, I'm fine." Ayame said with a sigh and a raised hand. "I've got Avalon in me, remember? Though if not for that, I'd probably be paralyzed from the waist down, on top of my face reduced to a swollen mass. Crazy bitch…next time we meet I'll bomb her from a safe distance."

"…just try not to cause too much damage to other people's property." Shirou firmly said after a moment.

Ayame nodded, unwilling and unable to contest the point. "That aside though," she then said with a smile. "The mission was a success. Using Excalibur, we razed the Matou mansion and property to the ground, no, more than that, we reduced it to a smoking crater. And before you ask, Arthur here was quite precise: we didn't cause much damage to the surroundings outside the Matou property, beyond what was unavoidable."

"…unavoidable…?" Shirou uncertainly echoed.

"Excalibur unleashes a blast of prana when attacking at range." Arthur explained. "An oversimplification, but that is basically what it does. However, while striking at the target, it displaces the surrounding air in the form of powerful shockwaves."

"We broke quite a few windows and started a light earthquake." Ayame added. "But that's it."

"Hmm…it can't be helped, I guess." Shirou said with a sigh. "And…? What about her grandfather? Do you think you managed to get him too?"

"…I'd like to think I did." Ayame said after a moment, and crossing her arms over her chest. Considering she was half-naked, and was sporting at least Cs, Shirou felt his cheeks burn at the sight and forced himself to look away. Ayame didn't notice though, as she continued without skipping a beat. "But it might be best not to assume. We should stay prudent, and keep a tight guard around Sakura."

"Yeah…that sounds like a good idea." Shirou agreed. "At the very least though, we, well, _you_ managed to destroy his workshop. Along with whatever else they've got inside the mansion, be it records and other written materials in their library, as well as mystic codes and artifacts in storage. We may not have taken the vampire out once and for all, but we've dealt a serious blow."

Ayame nodded. "That's true." She said. "That much is a complete win on our part. That said, we shouldn't be careless. We've been drawing a lot of attention to ourselves."

"Also true," Shirou agreed, looking at Ayame again. "Especially after you blasted the Matou and that house of horrors of theirs to hell where it belongs. I mean…yeah, we had to do it, but we can't assume Tohsaka was the only one to take notice. Though I wonder how she was able to respond so quickly…"

"…good question…" Ayame conceded. "…not to mention I should count myself lucky, that no other Masters or Servants tried to fight me and Arthur on the way back here, given my state."

"About that," Shirou said while getting to his feet. "You shouldn't be sitting or walking around only in your underwear. I'll see if I can get you some clean clothes, and maybe a spare set of boxers for when your underwear is in the wash. I'm sure you understand that I don't exactly have a spare set of women's underwear in the house."

Ayame blinked, and then regarding herself, burst out laughing. "Yeah, I understand." She said. "Sorry for all the trouble brother, and thanks."

Shirou nodded with a small smile. "Tomorrow," he said. "Or as soon as we have the time, we should go and buy new sets of clothes, instead of having to alter mine and wearing the same set of underwear immediately to and from the wash."

"…hmm, can't be helped…sorry for the trouble, brother."

Shirou smiled wider. "It's not trouble at all." He said before nodding and leaving. "Well then…"

Ayame nodded back, and as Shirou's footsteps receded into the distance, she leaned back on her arms, and let out a satisfied breath.

* * *

Rin lay on the operating table with clenched teeth, wearing only her underwear. She'd stripped off her shirt and mini-skirt to allow Kirei Kotomine to operate on her insides, though both had been ruined anyway thanks to Ayame Emiya's little water-fueled fuel-air bomb. Rin might have survived, but she'd been left with multiple second and third-degree burns plus burst eardrums. Nothing she couldn't fix on her own, but it had given Ayame Emiya time to escape. And ultimately her internal injuries were beyond Rin's own ability to deal with, hence her presence in Kotomine Church.

In addition to her underwear, towels sterilized by boiling had been wrapped around Rin's body above and below her injury to add further protection against infection, the edges of the hole in her belly cleaned and disinfected by alcohol before Kirei began to operate. The final protection though was a small, spherical bounded field that overlapped through Rin's body, and encompassing both the entry wound in her belly, and the exit wound in her back.

It was there that Kirei performed his spiritual surgery on, cutting out and removing dead, dying, and rotting flesh, knitting together what could be put back together, sealing internal bleeds, eased physical trauma, and generally repaired what he could.

Rin didn't know how long she lay on the cold table, but it was probably more than hour, before finally Kirei was done with her insides. Even then though, the operation wasn't finished yet, and it would be another fraction of an hour before he sealed her body once more.

"All finished." Kirei said with a small smile that had just the smallest hint of professional pride to it, dispelling the bounded field with a tap on Rin's belly.

Rin gingerly sat up, and swung her legs over the edge of the table. Kirei then offered her a trio of potions, one to replenish lost blood and other fluids, the other to assist in internal recovery, and the third to ease the pain. While the operation wasn't conducted without anesthesia, towards the latter part of the operation it began to wear off, and Rin was grateful for the potion.

"The operation was generally a success," Kirei began as he took away the empty vials for disposal, and then he turned back to Rin. "But with regard to the future…I have good news, bad news, and worse news."

"…in that order then." Rin breathed.

 _Of course…there are complications. There are always complications. I really should not be surprised._

"…my preferred order would be bad news, then good news, and then worse news." Kirei remarked.

Rin sighed. "I am so not in the mood to argue with you right now, Kirei." She said with a weary sigh. "Just spit it out already."

"Very well then," Kirei said. "The bad news is that plenty of your internal organs have suffered serious damage. I've had to remove slightly more than half your small intestine, and about a tenth of your large intestine. There will be scarring to your kidneys, stomach, liver, and pancreas, and I've had to rebuild your gall bladder as well."

"…gods damn it…" Rin spat with clenched fists, one of which she pounded against the operating table. "And…? What are the effects of the latter?"

"…you'll have to make some changes to your diet." Kirei answered after a moment's thought. "I'll have to consult my medical references to give you the specifics, but I should have it ready by tomorrow morning. It may be preferable to spend the night here, and if you would oblige, I will prepare a guest room."

"Fine…" Rin ground out. "Is that all?"

"Do try not to push yourself." Kirei said before raising a hand to forestall the inevitable protest. "I am aware that you are currently involved in the Fifth Holy Grail War, and no, I am not suggesting that you bow out, though that _is_ an option. All I'm saying, is that you switch tactics, avoiding close combat as much as possible, and instead focusing on dealing maximum damage from range, end battles as quickly as possible with minimal strain to your body."

"…doable." Rin conceded.

Kirei nodded. "Very well then," he said. "Proceeding to the good news, despite the extent of the internal injuries, much of the damaged organs can be replaced with puppet replacements. While given the state of your finances it would be…inadvisable, to do so all at once without sacrificing on quality, it can be done in stages, and in so doing restore full functionality. That said, the scarring to the interior of the abdominal wall, as well as on your skin, is permanent. Not that that should be a real issue."

"I'm not a particularly vain girl, Kirei." Rin remarked, somewhat mollified that she could regain full functionality of her damaged organs by replacing them with puppet parts over the following years. It would be expensive, yes, but needs must.

 _Damn you to hell and back, Ayame Emiya._

Kirei smirked. "Indeed," he said, and Rin shot him an ugly look.

"Get on with it, Kirei." She said. "What's the worse news?"

Kirei's smile went out. "Your ovaries and uterus have suffered considerable damage." He said, and the blood drained from Rin's face as her features twisted with horror. "I've done what I can, but given how…sensitive, those parts of your body are…"

 _No…_

"…I'm sorry to say…"

 _…NO…_

"…but it's quite likely…"

 _… **NO** …_

"…that you will never have a child."

 _… **NO!**_

Rin sat silent for several long moments, her face pale as a sheet, her body trembling. Kirei stared silently back, and then Rin got off the operating table. "Say that one more time…please…" she asked in a small voice.

"I'm sorry to say," Kirei obliged. "But it's quite likely that you will never have a child."

A sharp, piercing, and wordless scream of utter rage and loss erupted from Rin's mouth, and turning she grabbed the operating table with her hands. Magic circuits glowed blue and bright as she reinforced her body, and ripping the table clear off the floor, hurled it through a wall. Tears fell from her eyes even as blood erupted from her mouth, and then Rin crumpled to the floor. Even then, she pounded it with a fist, cracking the ceramic tiles in her pain and loss.

"…damn you…GOD DAMN YOU TO HELL, AYAME EMIYA!" she screamed.

And behind her, Kirei smiled.

 _…magnificent…_

* * *

"How'd you get away from Tohsaka, anyway?" Shirou asked his sister over the dinner table.

"I blew up the street." Ayame replied.

Shirou choked on his rice. "You did what?" he asked.

Ayame put down her bowl while scratching her head. "I…blew up the street." She sheepishly repeated.

"HOW?"

"…I broke open a fire hydrant, and then used alteration on all the water spilling out to break them down into hydrogen and oxygen." Ayame replied, fidgeting sheepishly. "I then jumped away while firing off a fireball behind me."

Shirou made uncomfortable noises. "That must have made quite the bang." He finally said.

"It did." Ayame said with a scowl. "It shattered windows all around, and blew branches off trees nearby. I got caught by the blast wave too. Thankfully, I'd reinforced my body, or else…"

"…you'd have suffered internal injuries." Shirou said.

"Yup," Ayame said with nod, before scowling again. "Even then, I still got thrown through the air and right into a dumpster. Seriously, what the hell?"

Shirou stared. Ayame stared back. Shirou pointed a finger at her while an eyebrow twitched. "You need to take a bath." He firmly said.

Ayame looked offended. "I washed my hands!" she protested.

"Good…but you still need to take a bath regardless."

"…after dinner then."

"Okay, that's fair enough."

Ayame grinned, though it quickly fell. Shirou tilted his head then. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"…you really have nothing to say about me blowing Tohsaka up?" Ayame asked.

Shirou scratched his head. "Well," he said. "I'm not saying I completely approve, but…I might not be a good magus, but I'm still a magus. And I know the first lesson taught to us all: we walk with death. In other words, magi are prepared to kill other magi before anything else."

Ayame stared silently at her brother, her expression unreadable. "Considering how hurt you were when you got home," Shirou continued after a moment. "Well…I guess it was only you giving as good as you got. There's no reason for you to let yourself be killed."

"Kill or be killed, huh?" Ayame murmured. "It's a rotten way of life."

"Hmm…it is." Shirou murmured.

After another moment, Ayame smiled and nodded. "Well, I'll tell you all the details after I take a bath later." She said with a sigh. "Then…we'll see…if you can still say I gave as good as I got."

Shirou nodded, and turned back to his meal. He'd barely taken a bite before Ayame spoke up again. "Shirou," she said. "Thanks."

"…no problem, Ayame."

* * *

A/N

Incoming flames…

…seriously? I mean, a) Kirei didn't say Rin couldn't have children anymore, she just likely _might_ not be able to have children anymore. The possibility still exists, it's just the probabilities which aren't very high. And b) it's not like Ayame was specifically aiming for Rin's womb. If you'd read the last chapter, Ayame was firing wildly when she hit Rin in the belly. It was just pure bad luck that the heat laser damaged Rin's ovaries and uterus.

When all is said and done, it's war. These things happen.


End file.
